


Slayers, Neverending

by QueenHimiko



Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: And baby makes three, F/M, Family Drama, Pregnancy, Wedding Drama, Weddings, atsd, fuck she's a princess, its not ptsd its atsd, lina v luna, meet the in laws, mother in law from hell, pregnancy hell, pregnancy sucks, weird pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2018-10-20 19:51:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 47
Words: 144,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10669629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenHimiko/pseuds/QueenHimiko
Summary: What is there to do after you've defeated Shabranigdu twice by the time you're 18? Lina worries about what to do with the rest of her life that can top or at least match her early achievements. Yet for this native born heroine of Zeferia, there will always be a new challenge. This was hard figuring out novels or anime continuity, eventually went with novels.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own "The Slayers", I just play in the sandbox.

“If we try to get there by tonight, we’ll likely get caught in one helluva downpour.” Lina commented as she surveyed the clouds, currently transitioning from an ominous grey to a stormy black, dampening the world so that even though it was only midafternoon it was already dark. She tried to keep her tone casual. As though it was no big deal. As though she wasn’t in a hurry. Because she wasn’t. Sure, it had been five years since she’d been home, but it wasn’t as though she was in a hurry to get there. After all, if she had been, she would have been back ages ago!

 

_Just keep telling yourself that, Lina._

 

“How far is it from here to Zefiel City?” Gourry asked as they walked through the village square.

 

“Several hours.” Lina said, “And there’s nothing really in between here and there. Or at least, there wasn’t when I left. Though, that was five years ago I guess.”

 

He inhaled, but even without his super senses she could smell the earthy scent of rain in the air. “We’ll be walking away from the storm. If we hurry we could outrun it.” He observed.

 

Lina laughed wryly, “Have you ever been caught in a storm in Zeferia? They move swiftly. Outrunning it is not an option.”

 

He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair, somehow managing to stem the dull ache that accompanied the knowledge that it would be another day before she got home. So what if they got there tomorrow morning? In a few months she wouldn’t even remember the delay, “If you say so.” He said, and she smiled as he slowly started to stroke her hair as he looked around, “Where should we eat? I’ll pay.”

 

“You’ve been very generous lately.” She observed.

 

“Lina?” a young woman said, and Lina turned around and then broke into a grin as she recognized the young woman with unruly tight blonde curls.

 

“Kate!” Lina exclaimed as they rushed towards each other and embraced.

 

“We’d heard you were coming home!” Kate said as she pulled away and squeezed Lina’s hands, “I was so scared you’d race through here and I’d miss you!”

 

Lina smiled, “I guess my folks got my letter then. Still, I’m surprised word got around.”

 

Kate smiled nebulously as she pulled away and brushed her curls from her blue eyes, which rested on Gourry, spurring Lina to say, “Oh, Gourry, this is Kate, she was my best friend growing up. Kate, this is my partner, Gourry.”

 

They shook hands as Kate cocked an eyebrow and asked, “Partner in what way?”

 

Lina blushed, reminded once again that she wasn’t even sure what the answer was anymore. Ever since she had defeated Luke Shabranigdu, Gourry had been incredibly sweet. He’d started paying for her meals, as though they were dating. And he’d been more daring in his displays of physical affection. Yet if the conversation ever turned serious, he’d say something ridiculous that would kill the mood, leaving Lina confused and a bit frustrated. Gourry, meanwhile, took it in his regular stride as he replied, “I keep her out of trouble.”

 

“Anyway,” Lina cut in, “What are you doing in Vista?”

 

“Oh, a few years back a man from this village started business that kept taking him to Zefiel City, and we kept running into each other. And, well, you know how it goes. I’m a married woman now, with a baby even!”

 

“Wow!” Lina exclaimed as she shook her head, “It’s strange to think that people my age are doing that.”

 

Kate laughed, “Well, I guess when you’ve defeated Shabranigdu, my life does seem rather provincial.”

 

Lina furrowed her eyebrows, “How did you know about that?”

 

“Everyone is talking about it!” Kate said, “It’s incredible really! I mean Luna’s kid sister went out into the world and had all of these heroic adventures and even took down Shabranigdu not once, but twice! It must have been extraordinary!”

 

Lina felt Gourry wrap an arm around her as she struggled with a mix of emotions as he said quietly, “Our friend died in the last battle with Shabranigdu.”

 

Kate’s mouth fell open in horror, “Oh, I didn’t know. Oh damn, Lina, I’m sorry. I guess that was insensitive of me.” She said as she rushed to put a hand on Lina’s arm, “I guess it sounds wonderful and heroic unless you were there and lived through it and made the sacrifices.”

 

“Can we talk about something else?” Lina asked.

 

“Sure, hell, why don’t I take you home, and you can meet my daughter! And look at this sky! You’ll never make it to Zefiel City tonight in this brewing storm. Hey, why don’t I fix you a good dinner, and you can stay with me tonight? Alex won’t mind.”

 

Lina smiled. She may not have made it home, but it was okay because Zefiel City had expanded its borders with Kate’s exodus. If she couldn’t spend the evening with family, at least it would be with Kate. “Sounds good.”

 

* * *

  


Kate’s house was both a little larger and a lot nicer than Lina was expecting. It was certainly a step up from where she and Lina had grown up, and better than anything Lina ever hoped to own. “I’m home!” Kate called as she opened the door, “And we have company.”

 

“Hey.” A man holding a baby said as he came up to greet Kate with a kiss on the cheek before he looked at them and extended his hand, “Welcome, I’m Alex.”

 

“This is my friend I was telling you about, Lina Inverse,” Kate said, and Lina noticed Alex’s eyes grow wide.  “And her _partner_ , Gourry Gabriev.” Kate smiled a little and winked as if to say they weren’t hiding anything from her, “They’ll be staying with us tonight so they don’t get caught in the storm on the way to Zefiel City.”

 

“It is good to meet you!” he said with a genuineness that surprised Lina, who still always braced herself with the knowledge that if someone met her, they’d likely heard the bad stuff. Yet Alex was looking at them as though they were heroes. “Kate has told me some incredible stories.”

 

“Just don’t believe everything you hear, okay?” Lina said as she shook his hand.

 

“Can I?” Gourry asked as he reached his hands out for the baby.

 

“Sure.” Alex said as he handed his daughter over, causing Gourry to grin widely as Lina shook her head.

 

“He loves babies.” Lina said with a sigh, “He’s a damn baby whisperer.”

 

“It’s a good skill to have.” Kate said as she folded her arms in amusement.

 

“It’s because his mind stop maturing when he was about your girl’s age.” Lina said.

 

“What’s her name?” Gourry asked.

 

Kate smiled shyly. “Well, she was born around the time that word got round that Lina had defeated Shabranigdu again.”

 

Lina’s eyes widened, “Don’t tell me…”

 

“So we decided to call her Lina.”

 

Lina stared at Kate stunned as Gourry said, “Keep this up, and you’ll cause Lina’s head to grow too big for her shoulders!”

 

“Oh shut up!” Lina hissed.

 

“You can’t hit me, I’m holding a baby!” he sang as he cuddled her closer.

 

“You’ll have to put her down sometime!”

 

“Lina,” Kate said quietly, “You’re okay with it, are you?”

 

Lina smiled reassuringly, “You just surprised me. I’m honored, really! It’s just, I knew since you were a girl you always like the name Flora, so…”

 

“Things change.” Kate said.

 

“I’d best check in at work.” Alex said as he gave Kate a wink, “I’ll be home for dinner.”

 

Alex bade his farewells, and Kate led them into the sitting room as Lina asked, “What does he do?”

 

“He maintains a network across Zeferia to send communication through the Vision spell.” Kate said.

 

“Huh?” Lina said, “I mean, I know the Sorcerer’s Guild uses it…”

 

“Alex saw a demand for it outside of the guild. In fact, he’s going to send a message to Zefiel City that you will be home tomorrow so your folks will know to expect you.”

 

“Can I talk to them?” Lina asked as she perked up a bit.

 

“Well, demand is so high, and trained sorcerers who want to do nothing but relay messages back and forth are difficult to find, all he can allow is brief messages. Fear not, my friend, you will see them tomorrow!”

 

“Is there a place I can wash up?” Gourry asked.

 

“Yes,” Kate said as she directed Gourry to the bathroom and took her daughter back. Once he was gone Kate looked at Lina and asked, “What is going on between you two?”

 

Lina briefly thought about saying something flippant. But she needed to get it off her chest, “I don’t know. One minute it seems as though he’s going to propose, the next...” Lina’s voice trailed off as she shook her head, “If he’d not stuck around for so long I’d wonder if he was toying with me. Perhaps it’s for the best, though.”

 

“Why?” Kate asked.

 

“Because I’m not sure what I want to do right now.” Lina explained, “I never thought there’d be a day when I got tired of traveling, but here I am. But then I’m only eighteen. My biggest achievements can’t be behind me, can they? I mean, is all that’s left is to just settle down and have babies? It’s not exactly as if I can keep taking down Shabranigdu as some sort of signature act. I want to live a long life after all and if I keep going the way I have the chances of doing that will diminish.” Lina sighed, “I guess when I set off I thought I’d go home and set up shop eventually, I just didn’t know that between now and then I would have done such big things, and to just go home and settle down, well, I guess it seems like a waste.”

 

“Hm,” Kate said, “Well, for all you know there’s something just around the corner.”

 

Lina furrowed her brow, “What do you mean?”

 

“Well, maybe you attracted some attention.”

 

“That’s what I’m scared of!” Lina said, “You have no idea the trouble I’ve attracted! The people who’ve tried to kill me…”

 

“Good attention.” Kate said.

 

“Huh?” Lina replied.

 

“Lina, I don’t think sitting at home and taking in laundry while minding the baby is ever something you’re going to have to worry about.” Kate said, “And it’s not because you’ll be dead, it’s because you’re going to do what you always do, fight the good fight, but in a different way.”

 

Lina thought for a moment, “How do you know this?”

 

“I’ve known you for a long time,” Kate said cryptically, “And I have my own intuition.”

 

“It sounds a bit more than intuition.” Lina countered.

 

“Does it?” Kate replied, “People like you don’t stay rudderless long. There’s always something to suck you in. That said, you deserve a break, so enjoy it while you have it. So tell me, what all have you been up to while I’ve been living my boring life?”

 

* * *

  


  


“Princess Amelia,” the page said quietly as he handed her a note, breaking her from her reverie. The Winmyn festivities were always long and seemed to drag on endlessly, and she was thankful for the distraction. “A young man asked me to give this to you.”

 

“Thank you.” Amelia said as she took it and dismissed him with a wave of her hand. She opened it and felt her heart race and the blood ran to her face, and then she looked around the temple, where people were sitting with a glazed eye look. If she left surely she would attract attention from people desperate for a distraction who would love the opportunity to speculate over why she was getting up and leaving. Still, given who had sent the missive, she just could not wait.

 

* * *

Lina had been right about storms in Zeferia moving swiftly. Soon a torrential downpour fell upon the town, and both were glad that they hadn’t tried to push to Zefiel City that day. After spending the afternoon with Kate, and then having a pleasant dinner with Kate and Alex, Lina had gone off to take a bath while Gourry rocked the baby as Kate did the dishes, something obviously weighing on her mind, and he didn’t have to wait too long to find out what. “If you’re waiting for Lina to make a move, you’re going to be waiting for a long time.”

 

Gourry looked up from the baby, a bit surprised at Kate’s directness, “Lina takes the lead in everything else.”

 

Kate smiled knowingly, “She won’t in this. All that time she spent training how to fight and cast a spell, no one was ever found the time to cram in something about navigating relationships with the opposite sex. Besides, she’s always had this idea that she has to be so alluring that men would fall over themselves for her. It would be a blow to her pride to move first.”

 

“I guess,” Gourry said.

 

Kate sighed, “Look, I can tell she likes you. And if you don’t feel the same, then you need to say something, now. Because there’s a lot of speculation about the two of you in Zefiel City, and a lot of expectations.”

 

“Expectations?” he repeated.

 

“Expectations that will make it very embarrassing if you don’t feel the same. So you need to tell her now, before she gets home. It’ll hurt like hell either way, but it will be worse if she finds out after.”

 

Gourry rocked the baby for a moment and asked, “What’s going on in Zefiel City?”

 

“I don’t want to say too much to ruin the surprise.” Kate said as she wiped her hands on her apron, “But Lina’s a native born heroine of their kingdom now, and…”

 

“Lina’s coming.” He said as he heard her footsteps down the hall, and Kate silently turned back to the dishes as Gourry continued to rock the baby to sleep.

 

Lina shook her head as she walked in, “You’re still rocking that baby?”

 

“I should set her down, let you have a break.” Kate said as she walked over to take her daughter.

 

“I don’t mind.” Gourry said, though he got up from the rocking chair and stretched.

 

“I guess I should be hitting the sack.” Lina said.

 

“Big day tomorrow.” Kate said with a smile.

 

“Thank you for letting us stay with you.” Gourry said.

 

“Let me know if you need anything.”

 

“Night.” Lina said as she went down the hallway to the guest bedroom.

 

Gourry stopped a moment to allow Lina to get some distance ahead before he whispered to Kate, “You don’t have to worry. Because she’s my world. I just haven’t had the time to tell her yet.”

 

“Then make the time.” Kate said.

 

* * *

  


Gourry walked into the guest room, where Lina was already curled up with a book. The rain pounded harshly against the windows, punctuated every so often by thunder. He never liked thunder storms, though Lina seemed unfazed. Granted, considering she grew up here, it was likely a fact of life she rarely gave much thought to. “It was good we ran into your friend.” He said.

 

“I know.” Lina said as she bit her lip pensively and he got the impression something was bothering her, even though she merely commented, “Saved us some money, too.”

 

“What is it?” he asked.

 

“It’s just strange. I guess I always wanted people to see me as a hero, but now that they’re looking at me like that and naming babies after me, well, I don’t know what to think about it. Especially since I don’t need anyone painting targets on my back.”

 

“Do you think you’ll be able to lay low forever?” he asked as he got into bed with her.

 

“Who said anything about laying low?” she asked.

 

“Well, you did run out of places you wanted to see and let me sort it out for once.”

 

Lina’s mouth dropped open and her face flushed, and he quickly put his hand over hers, “It doesn’t mean anything, if you need some time to get your wind back and recover. Especially after what happened.”

 

“Well what about you, and what you want?” she shot back, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man with such a case of baby lust! Don’t you want to find someone to settle down with?”

 

He shrugged, torn between the yearning to finally get things out in the open and his need to see Zefiel City before he did. But damn, it was getting harder to put her off, especially as she grew impatient, “It might get boring. And if I’m with you, then I’ll never be bored.”

 

“Gourry, tell me…”

 

He moved forward to gently kiss her on her forehead, “Hush.” He said quietly as she sat, red faced with a fire in her eyes, yet, as he expected, too stunned to move, “It’s a big day tomorrow. Rest now.”

 

He took a deep breath and laid down and felt her gaze on him and decided that it was a good thing that they were getting to Zefiel City the next morning, because it was getting more and more obvious that the brakes he’d placed on their relationship were wearing thin.

 

* * *

   


Amelia raced into the garden and looked around wildly, still surprised that Zelgadis had actually come to Saillune. But where was he? The only person who seemed to be there was a young man with handsome enough features and brown hair. Given how Zel was, it was likely he was hiding. She continued to scan the gardens, but there was no one there but the man, she was sure of it! She looked at him again, more carefully this time as he said, “Amelia.”

 

It was as though lightning struck her. It was Zel’s voice! She took a longer look at the man, and her jaw dropped as she recognized the features, free of stones and a refreshing peach color. “Mr. Zelgadis?” she asked as she gazed upon his true face for the first time.

 

“I did it!” he said as he walked up to her and grabbed her hand.

 

“You found your cure!” she said as she hugged him, “But how?”

 

“That’s a long story.” He said, “Do you remember the promise we made?”

 

Amelia pulled out a ring she wore around a long chain that she kept hidden underneath her bodice, “I never took it off.” She said as he shook his head in disbelief.

 

“That was about a year ago.”

 

“I knew it wouldn’t be just if we couldn’t be together. I never doubted it!” Amelia said as she handed him the ring. “We’d better find a priest now before word gets around and someone objects.”

 

“Your father won’t be mad, will he?”

 

Amelia shrugged as she grabbed his hand, “Eloping is a time honored family tradition. Otherwise we’d be saddled with some stale diplomatic marriage. And there’s been way too much talk of that lately! Better hurry, I’m rather valuable on the marriage market!”

 

“Amelia, you’re sure, right? I mean, we’ve been apart for a year. I’m not even the same person I was, and you’re not just doing this to get out of some political marriage?”

 

Amelia grabbed him and kissed him passionately and as she pulled away she whispered, “Could I kiss you like that if I just wanted out of some political marriage?”

 

He smiled as she continued, “And remember, I’m a Shrine Maiden and White Magic expert. I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one. And my instincts are never wrong.”

 

He squeezed her hand, “Then lead the way, my love.”

  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A note, in the novels Zel and Phil never meet. And I think that's the only change needed to understand everything that happens in this chapter.

“Damn,” Lina muttered as she scrapped a thick layer of mud from the soles of her boots. While the day had dawned as pretty as a picture, the fact that a vicious storm had passed through the previous night was very much in evidence in the muddy trail they navigated with difficultly.

 

She and Gourry slipped and slid their way through the muddier parts of the trail and had to stop often to wipe their boots, slowing their progress so much that by the time they reached the outskirts of Zefiel City it was a bit after lunch time and not before, like she had been planning. Her stomach rumbled miserably as she put her boot back on while Gourry surveyed the road ahead. When she noticed that he straightened a little she followed his gaze and found that a short woman wearing official, royal robes was walking up to them.

 

Lina grabbed a rag and started to wipe her hands with it, throwing it back in her pocket as soon as the woman approached. “Miss Lina Inverse?” she asked, her voice severe.

 

“Yes?” Lina replied.

 

“I am Aliciane, the Eternal Queen’s Official Page. The Eternal Queen would like an audience with the both of you. Follow me.”

 

Gourry frowned as Lina fought the urge to protest. She wanted to see her family first, and she was hungry and had been ready for some good home cooking. She quickly swallowed the impulse. _Welcome home,_ she thought to herself as she realized that the freedom she had enjoyed would soon be a distant memory. Because at the end of the day, when the Queen of your homeland beckons, you don’t disobey.

 

* * *

 

“Daddy.” Amelia said as she walked up to one of the most repulsive men that Zelgadis had ever seen. He was Amelia’s father!? Zelgadis’s mind could not work out how a woman as beautiful as Amelia could have been sired by someone so ugly. Part of him wondered if Amelia was playing a joke on him as he felt his anxiety over meeting her father and having the explain their elopement melt under a new worry. Namely, if Amelia’s father was that disgusting, what would their kids look like?

 

 _Well, hopefully they’ll take after Amelia_ , he told himself as it started to become easier to understand why Amelia would develop feelings for him when he was a chimera. And then he started to feel a bit of empathy for Phil, even if it was mostly crushed under the overwhelming anxiety that meeting him produced.

 

“Amelia!” Phil said as he stood up from behind his desk and ran to her, “I was worried! You just disappeared…”

 

Zelgadis watched as they embraced, reflecting that after their brief ceremony they stayed at an inn. They couldn’t very well stay in the priestess dormitory that Amelia inhabited. Amelia had hoped her absence wouldn’t be noticed, even if she wasn’t optimistic about it.

 

“I had matters of great importance to attend to.” Amelia explained as Phil looked at Zelgadis, who stood a bit straighter. He’d heard that Philionel was a pacifist, and it looked as though that philosophy was about the be put to the test as a strange look crossed the older man’s face as Philionel seemed to take every inch of him in.

 

“What matters?” Phil said. “Who’s this?”

 

Amelia walked over to Zel and stood beside him as she grabbed his hand, “This is Zelgadis Greywards, the chimera man I told you about who helped us defeat Hellmaster Phibrizo. He found his cure and came back for me. We just got married!”

 

Amelia stood beside him as bubbly as a frothing waterfall. She even bounced on her heels a little as she swung her arm, causing their hands to buoy back and forth. Zel, meanwhile, became more stiff and rigid as Phil’s mouth dropped a little in surprise and his eyes bulged out of his brow, giving him the appearance of a frog being squeezed as a red violet shade colored his face. Zelgadis began seriously questioning the wisdom of this move.

 

Phil took a deep breath and managed to squeak out, “I see.”

 

“Isn’t it romantic?” she wailed as she moved closer to Zel and hugged his arm. Judging by the way the vein in Phil’s forehead throbbed visibly through his skin, Zel really wished she would stop baiting him, “It’s just like what you and Mommy did!”

 

Phil clasped the back of his chair as though he had been kicked in the stomach. He took a deep breath and then shook his head. “I guess this has been a long time coming.”

 

“Um-hum.” Amelia said with a giggle as she cuddled closer to Zelgadis, and he started to wonder what was wrong with her. Sure, she was peppy and optimistic, but this was a side to her he’d never seen!

 

“For the record, my parents had met your mother and I had met hers before we eloped.” Phil pointed out.

 

“But I’m not pregnant.” Amelia sang.

 

“Gracia was premature.” Phil muttered.

 

Amelia shrugged, “If you say so.”

 

Phil sighed, and walked up to him, and Zelgadis felt his heart race faster than he could remember for a while. Then he extended his hand, and Zelgadis relaxed a small measure as he shook it. “Welcome to the family.” Phil let go of his hand as quickly as possible, “You two better get out of the kingdom until this dies down. The Council is going to wring my neck over this!”

 

Right now, those were the most beautiful words that Zelgadis had ever heard as Amelia said, “Good point. Is there anywhere we’re needed?”

 

“Well,” Phil said, “Zefiel City is having a big celebration of their native born heroine, Lina Inverse.”

 

Zelgadis’ ears pricked at that, “Since you two know her, it would be good if Saillune made a show. It would also strengthen relations between our kingdoms.”

 

Amelia jumped up as she clasped her hands, “That sounds like a perfect plan! Right, Zel, let’s get going right now!”

 

* * *

 

Lina was unusually quiet as she followed Aliciane into Zefiel City. If the Eternal Queen wanted to see her there were only two possibilities. One was that something horrible had happened. The other was something she never dared dream would happen, especially given as she had grown up under Luna’s shadow. Even now she couldn’t wish for it. If she was wrong it would be too shattering. So instead she kept her eyes peeled for trouble. As they approached the gates Lina’s eyes rose up to the flags, expecting to see them at half-mast.

 

They weren’t. And rather than just seeing the ordinary Zeferian flag, below it was the flag that was flown on celebrations to honor the heroes of Zeferia. Lina felt her heart swell as she gasped. “What is it?” Gourry whispered.

 

All Lina could do was shake her head as they passed under the gates and Aliciane stopped before the sentries. Beyond them Lina could see the crowded thoroughfare lined with people waving flags and carrying flowers and looking joyous. “Stand aside.” Aliciane told the guards, “And make way for the return of Lina Inverse, a native born hero of Zefiel City.”

 

The applause was thunderous as Aliciane started to move forward. Lina, in her shock, remained frozen to the spot, but not for long. Gourry gently grabbed her arm and induced her to move forward again. As she entered the city it slowly dawned on her why she was going to visit the Eternal Queen. She was going to be knighted.

 

Someone pressed a bouquet of flowers into her arms and she took it, stunned, as the crowds on either side waved and cheered. She tried to look in them to find familiar faces, but it was all a blur, so she focused on looking forward once more. Finally her eyes settled on the gazebo in the town’s center, and her heart sped up a bit as she saw her family standing there behind the tall, regal woman seated in an ornate chair. Her heart raced as they drew closer, and she realized that her family appeared to have grown a bit, judging by the young man standing beside her sister and the fact that each of them was holding a toddler boy. Was she an aunt now as well? Her family waved. She waved back as Gourry leaned down to whisper, “Hey Lina, that man with the dark hair. Who is he?”

 

Lina shook her head, “My dad, idiot.”

 

She was too focused on getting to the gazebo to see the shocked expression on his face. And then it took all of her attention to navigate the steps without tripping in front of the entire city. When she reached the top of the stairs and found herself before the dais the queen was seated on she took a deep breath and knelt down as Aliciane introduced her, “Miss Lina Inverse.”

 

The Queen considered her for a moment before speaking in a clear, resounding voice, “Is it true that you slew Hellmaster Phibrizo and two sevenths of Shabranigdu?”

 

Lina nodded, even as she felt the hairs on the back on her neck prickle. Admitting it in front of a large crowd of people seemed like waving a banner to the Mazoku race that read COME KILL ME. Still, she couldn’t very well refuse to answer the queen, “Yes, your majesty.”

 

The Queen rose, “As a native born Zeferian, I’m sure that you are aware that we are proud that our kingdom has a reputation for being where legends are born.”

 

“I do, your majesty.”

 

“Who would have thought when you set out five years ago that you would have surpassed them all?”

 

Lina felt gooseflesh erupt, and for once, she struggled with something to say. While Lina tried to find coherent words, the Queen drew a sword, a ceremonial one. Lina looked forward to the ground as she felt the sword against her right shoulder, and then her left, and then back again. “You have earned your knighthood.” The Queen declared, “And from this day forward you shall be the official Protector of Our Realm.”

 

Lina looked up, her eyes wide. Was this what Kate had been talking about when she said that she wouldn’t have to worry about figuring out what would happen next? “The estate at Maninstit and the surrounding lands are now your domain. You may rise.”

 

Lina got up and hoped that her legs weren’t visibly shaking, “Thank you, your majesty.”

 

“Thank you for your service. You may go to your family.”

 

Lina bowed one final time, and then rushed over to her parents, reaching her mother first who wrapped her into a hug. “Why didn’t anyone say anything?” Lina muttered by way of a greeting.

 

“And ruin the surprise?” her mother replied.

 

Before Lina could retort, the Queen spoke again, “And you are Gourry Gabriev.”

 

Lina’s father moved to her other side, and each of her parents proudly wrapped an arm around her as she turned so she could watch what was happening as Gourry answered in the affirmative and the queen said, “You are not native to this realm.”

 

It wasn’t a question, but Gourry still answered, “No.”

 

“Yet without your skill and loyalty, our native born daughter may never have accomplished her feats.”

 

“She would have found a way.” Gourry replied, and Lina’s stomach fluttered. “She’s smart like that.”

 

“That may be, but for making her path easier, I grant you citizenship in Zeferia.” The Queen drew her sword once again and placed it on Gourry’s shoulder, “And I grant you your knighthood. I understand you call yourself Lina’s guardian.”  
  
“Yes. Self-appointed.”

 

The Queen smiled, “The Protector of Our Realm has a big job and needs someone to guard her back. So you shall be the Guardian of Our Protector, and given a monthly stipend of 1000 gold pieces.”

 

“I mean no offense,” Gourry said, and Lina felt the bottom drop from her stomach, “But my guarding Lina is an act of devotion. And she’ll likely ring my neck for this, but if I take money for guarding her, then it would be about greed. So would it be alright if I took the title but not the money?”

 

The thunderous applause that resulted from Gourry’s question seemed muted as Lina wondered if he really just said that as her mother whispered in her ear, “Don’t beat him up too badly.”

 

 _Actually I kinda want to jump him in a different way_ , Lina thought to herself as the Queen smiled knowingly, “As you wish. Still, part of your and Lina’s job will be training the next potential legends that Zeferia has to offer. And for that you shall be compensated.”

 

Gourry smiled, “That I can accept.”

 

“You may rise.”

 

Gourry did so, bowed, and walked over to them, and Lina swore that there was no way he couldn’t hear her heart pounding against her rib cage. “Gourry.” Her father said as he patted him on the back, “It’s good to see you again.”

 

Lina’s mouth dropped, “Again!?”

 

* * *

 

Han Inverse related the tale of how he and Gourry had met as they walked over to a large banquet table that Gourry was thankful to see was laden with food. There were two decorated chairs in the center of the table, one for him and one for Lina, and Gourry could not help but think that it almost seemed like a wedding banquet. No wonder Kate had confronted him.

 

Even though it was not something he usually did, he held out the chair for Lina. She looked at him for a moment, her expression indecipherable, before she sat down. He sat beside her as her parents drew chairs beside her while Luna took the chair beside him, her husband and sons joining her. “You don’t mind children?” Luna asked.

 

“No.” Gourry said.

 

“After the next morning we went our separate ways.” Han said, “Months passed and we got a letter that you were traveling with him. Small world.”

 

Lina shook her head in disbelief as she started to load her plate, “So this couldn’t have happened too long before we met.”

 

“I ran into you a few days later.” Gourry said.

 

“And you never suspected…”

 

“No.” Gourry said as he sipped some ale. “Though now that I think of it, it makes sense.”

 

Lina cocked an eye at him, “How so?”

 

He smiled, “It just does!”

 

“Well, I guess that’s about as intelligent as a respond as I can expect from you.” Lina said as she shook her head.

 

“Tell me about defeating Shabranigdu.” Lina’s mother, Leia, said.

 

Gourry ate quietly as he watched as Lina narrated their adventures to her family as he worked to sort through his feelings. While he was happy that the hard work and suffering he had endured with Lina was being recognized and appreciated, this was not what he was expecting. He had been worried about getting a job, about fitting in with her family, about finding a place in Zefiel City, and about whether or not he was good enough for Lina.

 

But now…

 

Running into her father again seemed to be a sign. After losing his own father, Han had come in at a pivotal time and provided the sort of guidance that a father would have. Guidance that was instrumental in forming a partnership with Lina and saving the world. Seeing him again was encouraging, and he desperately wanted to talk to him without Lina around. Still, it wasn’t as though he could butt in after he had been away from his daughter for five years. It would have to wait. Still, Gourry was becoming more certain that he could fit in with her family.

 

Not to mention her country. Citizenship and a plushy job, and with Lina being a land owner now, well, it took care of a lot of worries, even as it added some. Part of him wished he had made a move earlier. He didn’t want to give the impression that he was only interested in Lina for her land. Granted, he’d likely quash that speculation with turning down the stipend.

 

While it was good, as he surveyed the festival being held in their honor, it was also a lot to take in. He glanced at Lina, who appeared happy and overwhelmed as she told their story. No, he was preparing for anonymity and penny pinching. He hadn’t been expecting fame and a position of power. Even if he still did not completely understand what that position entailed yet.

 

And, he thought with a bit of sadness, it would be a horrible time to make a move. He and Lina was both reeling from this surprise. Something needed to stay stable.

 

“Which brings me to,” Lina said, cutting into his thoughts as she looked at her sister, “What exactly am I supposed to be doing as the Protector of the Realm?”

 

“The Eternal Queen will let you have some time with us today. Tomorrow she plans another audience with you, in private, where she will explain in greater detail.” Luna said, and Gourry reflected that that did not tell them much.

 

“You must have some idea. I mean, will we be traveling through Zeferia keeping it safe, or…?”

 

“The Ceiphied Knights have things within Zeferia’s borders under control.” Luna said, “However, the events of the past two years have shown that things outside of our borders threaten our existence as well, and when that happens, we need someone we can trust out there taking care of it.”

 

“So are Gourry and I supposed to do what we’ve always done, but in the Queen’s name and with a handsome stipend and a lot of land I never get to see?”

 

“The Mazoku race is quiet now,” Luna explained, “After two years of unusually high activity, things are quiet. Right now is the time to rest, so enjoy it while it lasts. In the meantime, we intend to become stronger. You proved that a human could take down a high ranking Mazoku. So right now people across Zeferia are scouting for potential sorcerers and swords people for training. While we have a good network here in Zeferia thanks to Ceiphied’s Eats…”  
  
“Ceiphied’s Eats?” Gourry interjected.

 

“The restaurant I work at,” Luna said, “Well, it’s a bit more than a restaurant. The Ceiphied Knights work there, gather intel from the travelers who come through, protect our borders, that sort of thing.”

 

 _And Ceiphied’s Eats was the best name you could come up with?_ Gourry thought as he shook his head while Luna continued, “So you probably have a few months to rest before you start receiving trainees. You can write about your adventures for posterity, or just enjoy walking about your domain, or catch up on sleep, I really don’t care. Once we start sending people your way, though, your job is to train them to do what you did, and then lead them in battle when the time comes.”

 

“I see.” Lina said as she smiled wistfully, “I guess that’s why I have all of that land now.”

 

Luna patted her hand, and Gourry’s brain worked over time to figure them out. Lina had always given mixed signals about her sister, on the one hand implying they were close, on the other implying that she was terrified of her and even traumatized by her. Yet all Gourry saw now was a rather nurturing older sister, “It’s a lot to take in.”

 

Lina looked out as the festivities, “I just wasn’t expecting all this to greet me when I got home.”

 

“What, do you think we were sleeping under a rock?” Luna asked.

 

“Speaking of,” Leia said as she glanced at Gourry, “Is there anything else you two want to announce?”

 

Lina reddened as she muttered, “Mom!”

 

“Yes,” Gourry said as Lina’s eyebrows hit her hairline, “And that is I intend to have a dance with Lina.”

 

Lina reddened further, “Gourry!”

 

“Oh, go.” Luna said as she pushed her, “You never know what will happen on the dance floor.”

 

Gourry offered his hand and Lina took it, and as he escorted her to the dance floor he noticed people staring at them approvingly. Something about it was eerie, and a feeling rose that he had just lost control of his life. It was silly. He was planning to be with Lina anyway, so why did the knowing and approving glances make him feel so manipulated?

 

Finally they reached the dance floor, and as he put his arms around her the feeling of being manipulated ebbed. Holding her felt so natural and right. “How are you doing?” he asked as he searched her face for clues to what she was feeling.

 

“Strange.” Lina said after a moment, “It’s a lot. I wasn’t expecting this. And, well, I guess I liked the feeling that I was in control of my life for awhile. Even if it was just an illusion.”

 

So it wasn’t just him! “You feel it too?” he said.

 

Lina snorted, “I should have warned you. It happens when my sister is around. You start wondering if anything you do was your own idea or somehow set in motion by her. I mean even this, I know it was her idea not to tell me and catch me off guard. I wish someone had said something!”

 

“Well, you don’t have to do the Protector of the Realm thing if you don’t want to.” He said.

 

Lina smiled warily, “Yes, I do. This is my kingdom. You don’t just turn down a request from the Eternal Queen. Besides, much as I hate to admit it, it does solve my problem. It gives me a next step to focus on. I’d never thought of training people, but it’s something I can do that would help. I’m a bit excited about it. There were a lot worse things I could be facing.”

 

They were quiet for a minute as he just focused on the feel of her in his arms. Her next questions was asked in an uncharacteristically quiet manner, yet still her heard her, “But what about you? I mean, this isn’t your country or your people.”

 

“As long as I’m with you, I’m happy.” He said.

 

“Gourry,” she said, and the longing in her voice spurred something within him to stop waiting, to stop rationalizing his reasons for delaying and to act.

 

He moved quickly before he could change his mind and leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “It’s because I love you.”

 

He felt her hands tighten around him. Suddenly he wished for a way to get her alone. Yet he knew that if he attempted to take her anywhere they would be followed by a crowd of people eager to see what they were up to. No, being alone would have to wait. Still, her hands relaxed as she rested her head against his chest, and he was certain she could hear the pounding of his heart. “I love you, too.”

 

* * *

 

It was late when they left the festival. After the dance Lina spent some more time catching up with her friends and family. They had dinner and danced some more, and drank a lot. When things finally broke up Lina escorted him to the street she had grown up on. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but eventually she took him to a rather nondescript mercantile store and took him around the back to the steps there. “The apartment is on top of the store.” She explained, her words slightly slurred as she started to climb the steps. “It’s not much.”

 

“In the Elmekian Empire I grew up in a shabby mud hut.” He said.

 

Lina smiled wryly as she opened the door. He could sense that her parents were already inside and asleep. Either her parents felt safe enough keeping their doors unlocked or it was a one time event with Lina home. “There’s a kitchen and small bathroom downstairs if you need it.” She said as she walked into a tiny hallway and took her shoes off and set them beside her parents. He followed her lead. On the right was the room her parents were in. She opened the door to her left, revealing a room so small it merely contained two built in bunk beds on the far wall. “This is where Sis and I slept growing up.” Lina said in a hushed tone. “Do you want the top or bottom bunk?”

 

He shrugged, mournfully thinking that they definitely were not wide enough for two people. Hell, the room was so narrow it barely fit the beds, “Whichever.”

 

“I think the bottom is a bit roomier.” Lina said as she hopped on the top one, and he couldn’t help but notice that it helped with their height mismatch, which got him thinking. Perhaps they couldn’t go all the way, but they could get a good start.

 

“Is it all right if I kiss you, or are you too tired?”

 

She put her hands around his shoulders and pulled him to her, taking a moment to briefly say before their lips met, “Damn you, I’ve been waiting for you to ask that all night!”


	3. Chapter 3

Lina’s head throbbed as she woke up. “Damn, hangover.” She muttered as she turned and came face to face with the steep drop off that came with being on the top bunk. A sense of vertigo overwhelmed her as she moaned and turned on her back and stared at the ceiling. Gingerly she reached into her pocket for some herbs she kept with her and had thankfully remembered to put there when she started drinking the previous night. After she took them she closed her eyes until the hangover went away, and then she cautiously climbed down from the top bunk and observed that Gourry was still sleeping peacefully. She smiled as she looked at him as she remembered the feel of his lips pressed against hers, and wondered if he would remember kissing her the previous night. He’d better. She’d wring his neck if he forgot their first kiss.

But then, if he didn’t remember, she could really mess with his head if she kissed him. She grinned wickedly as she moved forward, careful to keep from bumping her head on the top bunk, and planted a kiss on his lips. His blue eyes fluttered open in surprise, but then he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss for a moment before he pulled away and smiled at her. “Morning, sunshine.”

“Morning.” She said, as the discomfort that came from holding such as awkward position won over the desire to be close to him, and she moved back out of the bunk while he sat up.

“So last night wasn’t just some wonderful dream.” He said.

“No,” Lina said as she marveled over how quickly the previous day had gone, and how now in retrospect it did have the feel of a lost, wondrous dream. Suddenly she was overwhelmed with a taste of bittersweetness. Had she really taken the time to savor yesterday? 

“What are we going to do today?” he asked, bringing her back to the present.

“Well, I guess we’re supposed to have lunch with the queen.” She said as she looked outside, and noted that they miraculously had not overslept, “First, though, breakfast. No first fresh clothes.”

He leaned back in his bunk as she started to dig through her bags, “Should I stand outside the door, or can I watch?”

She felt her heart lurch as she clutched the shirt she’d grabbed. Then she looked at him and smiled daringly, “Why don’t you change first, and then I’ll have a go.”

* * *

“You’re finally up!” Leia said as she burst into the kitchen from the shop up front.

“It was a big night.” Lina said as she sat down at the table and removed the napkin that had been left over the plate of food.

“Yes, and if you had slept too much longer, we would have thrown out your breakfast and just given you lunch.”

“Hey, I would have eaten both!” Lina said.

“She would, she eats a lot.” Gourry said as he popped a biscuit into his mouth.

“Who eats a lot!?” Lina snapped.

“Keep it down, there are customers up front!” Leia said.

“How’s business?” Lina asked.

“Booming. Being the parent of a Zeferian knight helps.” She said proudly.

Lina smiled as she dipped her biscuit in some syrup, “Glad to do my part.”

Leia suddenly leaned forward as she looked at Lina conspiratorially, “So, any big plans for the day?”

“I’m meeting the queen.” Lina said.

“Yes, Luna should be picking you up any minute. How about dinner? I was wanting to go out, just you and me.” Leia said.

“I’d like that.” Lina replied as she looked at Gourry, “You’ll be okay for an evening without me?”

“I’ll find something to do.”

“You can go fishing with my husband.” Leia proclaimed.

Gourry’s mouth dropped, and Lina felt her anxiety peak, but Gourry merely shoveled more food into his gaping mouth before saying, “Yeah, it’ll be good to talk to him one on one.”

 _What they hell does that mean!?_ Lina wondered as her heart started pounding.

“So.” Her mother continued, and Lina could not help but notice that she was looking to her and Gourry and back again. “Do the two have any big news you want to share?”

While her mother didn’t spell it out, Lina knew she was once again sniffing out whether or not a wedding was on the horizon. _Gee, take down a bunch of Mazoku and none of it matters so much as whether or not I’m married,_ Lina thought as she wiped her fingers on the napkin. It didn’t help that while she and Gourry talked about love and had shared a steamy kiss, and had now teased each other by dressing in the same room, he’d had yet to say anything about marriage. Yet the expectation was heavy, and not just from her mother. Nearly everyone they had run into the previous day had hinted about it. Meanwhile, Lina watched as Gourry scuffled down the eggs, seeming as clueless as ever.

“What can be bigger news than an audience with the queen?” Lina asked.

“What’s going on between you two!?” Leia demanded to know as Han appeared in the doorway.

“Oh, that’s easy!” Gourry said as he indicated the plates between him and Lina, “Breakfast!”

“Gourry!” Lina shrieked as she got out her slipper and hit him while her father laughed.

“You two better knock it off and get in a serious frame of mind.” Luna said as she burst into the room, and Lina straightened to attention while Gourry’s eyes widened. “Come on, I’ll take you to see the Eternal Queen, and you’d better be on your best behavior and not embarrass me or there will be consequences.”

Lina felt chills go through her as Gourry’s mouth fell open, only this time he did not shovel more food inside, as the air of malice grew thick. Hastily Lina stood up, and wished for a mirror in the downstairs area so she could check to make sure her outfit was okay.

“You look fine,” Luna said as she seemed to read her mind, “Just move it, I’ve got a lot to get done today.”

* * *

“So I see you’re an old, married woman now.” Lina said as she walked between Luna and Gourry. 

“Watch who you’re calling old!” Luna snapped.

“Where’d you meet him?”

“Harold is the son of the boss at Ceiphied’s Eats.” Luna said, “He’s from a family of powerful humans, though it missed him. However, it was speculated that any children we had would be very powerful, so we got married and the boys came shortly thereafter. We have grown to love each other.”

“Wow.” Lina said as a feeling of discomfort arose within her, “There’s no genteel way to put this. You aren’t planning to breed me like a prized race horse, are you?”

Luna laughed, but before she could reply, someone started calling, “Dame Lina! Dame Lina!” Lina stopped in her trek and wondered if the town was under attack as she turned to consider that older woman running up to her. Strangely she was smiling.

“What’s wrong?” Lina asked.

“Nothing!” the woman said as she took a moment to catch her breath, “Well, that is, if you make sure you go to June Bride’s Wedding Gowns when the time comes!”

“Huh?” Lina replied, mystified as the woman grabbed her arm.

“I’ll get you a great deal as long as you make sure you tell everyone who you trusted with making you feel your absolute most beautiful on your special day.” She gushed.

“But we’re not…” Lina said as she felt Gourry’s eyes on her but didn’t dare look at his face.

“I know, I know, you haven’t even set a date yet.” She said, and then she leaned in to whisper conspiratorially, “Just make sure you don’t go to that trash dress shop Formal Designs.”

“Um, okay.” Lina said, desperate to get away from her as fast as she could, “Thanks!”

She felt her face heat as she continued forward with Luna and Gourry, only to have someone else yell, “Dame Lina! Sir Gourry!” This woman had her children with her, and she forced them between her and Lina and Gourry, “Please consider training my children. They had such a talent for swordplay and sorcery, and I’m sure they will blossom under your tutelage and will be proud to join the next generation taking down the Dark Lord!” 

Fortunately Luna jumped in, “We have trained scouts scouring the countryside who know what to look for. I’m sure if your brats could cut the mustard they would have been found by now being this close to the queen. Stand aside and stop wasting out time.”

“There’s no need to be so mean.” Gourry said as he noticed the kids start to bite back tears while their mother’s face reddened with embarrassment.

“You may have time to indulge every parent who has delusions of grandeur about their third rate kid, but I don’t.” Luna said as she continued forward, and Lina and Gourry trailed behind, a bit dazed. “And honestly, don’t scout out talent yourselves. We’ll send people to you.”

Then they heard another person call out, “Dame Lina, Sir Gourry!” They both stiffened as a plump baker came running up to them with a sample platter, “Please try this cake, and remember Sweet Imaginations when you plan your wedding festivities!”

“Hey, free food!” Gourry said as he reached forward to grab a mini-cake while Luna gave him the glare of death.

But Lina couldn’t fault him as she cried, “Hey, I get some, too!”

“Now that you’re done stuffing your face,” Luna seethed, “We have to get back…”

But she was soon drowned out by the chorus of merchants and parents crying, “Dame Lina! Sir Gourry!” as they peddled their goods or shoved their children before them, begging them to be trained by them. Lina felt overwhelmed. Between the hopeful, desperate parents and the sheer amount of people pushing goods for a wedding that was not happening, Lina felt unusually paralyzed. She was used to fighting bandits and Mazoku. Nothing she had done before had prepared her for this! And while she wanted to tell everyone to clear out and give her space, now that she finally felt love and adoration from strangers, she was unusually hesitant to kill it by being the bitch she was generally better known as being.

Luna, though, had no such hangs up as she bellowed, “Get out of our way!”

The crowd gasped, seemed to collectively tremble as people muttered something about upsetting the Ceiphied Knight, and finally dispersed. Lina and Gourry exchanged a shell shocked look as Luna continued to move forward, and they mechanically followed behind her as Lina wondered if this was going to be something that died down once the novelty of her story wore off, or if this was going to be the new normal.

* * *

Lina has sat across from royalty before. She had even traveled with and befriended royals, interacting with some of them as casually as you would your commoner best friend. Yet having lunch with the Eternal Queen caused her to feel unaccustomedly nervous. For one thing, the Eternal Queen was her native sovereign, while the other royals she knew were from foreign kingdoms. For another, Luna would be there, watching her every move. And finally, considering how focused everyone else was on her relationship with Gourry, she was scared about being interrogated about a wedding that was not happening, or even perhaps being ordered to marry him so they could produce children who would bring glory to Zeferia.

Not that she didn’t want to marry him, or did she? It was all so confusing! No, she knew she would not want to do it if she was ordered to. She wanted it to be her choice. Not to mention that she wanted him to choose her. Being ordered to do it would destroy what they had. So if the Eternal Queen ordered it of her, Lina felt as though she had a lot to lose.

The Eternal Queen smiled as Luna brought them into her chambers. She was an extraordinarily lovely woman who did not seem to age through the years. While she looked to be Lina’s age, it was well known that she was far older. Not to mention exceedingly powerful in her own right. Lina wondered if she had ever gone traveling in her youth like Amelia had. From the rumors she’d heard, the Eternal Queen could certainly hold her own. 

The table that the Eternal Queen was seated at only had places set for two, and once Lina and Gourry had taken their seats at a table laden with food the Eternal Queen spoke kindly, “Luna tells me that you work best when you aren’t in her shadow.”

Lina blushed as she felt her sister’s gaze on her, “Um, I guess.”

“I see.” Luna said quietly, and Lina could hear the unspoken threat in her voice about what would happen to her if she caused shame for their family in front of the Eternal Queen, “I have other duties to attend. I’ll see you tomorrow at dinner time, which you’re having with us, by the way. It’s time you get to know your nephews.”

There was a part of Lina that resented being told what to do, but it was overcome with relief that Luna would not be staying that she could barely feel it. “See you tomorrow.” Lina said as she couldn’t believe her luck as Luna walked out, leaving her and Gourry alone with the Eternal Queen, and the room seemed to warm instantly.

“Tell me about your adventures.” The Queen prompted, and Lina narrated her tales over lunch, and managed to finish up as the last of the lunch plates were being whisked away. The Eternal Queen made a few observations before she asked, “How long until you plan to journey to Maninstit?”

Lina looked at Gourry, who shrugged. “We haven’t decided yet. I had thought we’d stick around for a little bit, but the attention has been a bit overwhelming. So we may leave sooner than anticipated.”

The Eternal Queen pulled out a map, “Maninstit is just two hours from here, so it won’t be too far, and you can visit with your family often. I naturally expect reports on the progress of your pupils. It is staffed with a cook, a maid and a butler. And depending on how many pupils are sent to you, you may request additional staff.” The Eternal Queen considered her for a moment and then a sparkle came to her violet eyes as she added, “Oh, and a nanny when the time comes.”

Lina blushed as she avoided Gourry’s gaze. While she was not being ordered to marry Gourry, it was the default assumption of everyone she had met that it would happen. Which put her in the strange position of feeling as though it was her choice while knowing that she would let a lot of people down if the anticipated wedding never happened. And what did Gourry think? Damn, she wanted to get into his head! But if breakfast was any preview, he would be as deft at avoiding the topic as he always was. 

At the same time she was excited. While she knew she wouldn’t be able to travel all her life, cooking and cleaning never appealed to her, and the thought of settling down always seemed dreary. Now she would have staff of her own to do it while she could continue her research and to train others to do what she had done! 

“Now, we do expect to see results.” The Eternal Queen cautioned. 

“What sort of results?” Lina asked.

“Dead Mazoku.” The Eternal Queen specified. “Not immediately, naturally. It takes time to train people.”

“I never set out to kill Mazoku.” Lina said as she briefly wondered if she should continue, “And I can’t recommend that others do so either.”

“You can, and will.” The Eternal Queen countered, “We need to press forward while we have the advantage.”

Lina felt the protests rise within her as she thought about the faceless children she would be training who could very well be sent to their deaths for all she knew. Meanwhile the queen continued, “You proved it was possible for a human to accomplish these feats. You set that bar high, and you can train others to do that.”

“I had tools that no longer exist in this world.” Lina said, “I had to destroy my Demons Blood Talisman in my last battle. And Gourry’s Sword of Light no longer exists in this world…”

“The guild is working on creating a new way to boost spells. And they are close to a break through. You and Gourry have other swords.”

“The Blast Sword belongs to Gourry.” Lina said.

The Eternal Queen nodded, “And you have other swords that the treasure hunters had acquired before they died.”

Lina and Gourry looked at each other. “Yes.” Lina finally admitted.

“And we have our own people searching for legendary swords. Never underestimate human ingenuity.” The Eternal Queen looked at her piercingly, “Right now, the people we are gathering are eager to work with you to learn to take down the Mazoku and secure peace in our world. They know and accept the risks.”

Lina opened her mouth as she thought of Luke, and then closed it. “What is it?” The Queen asked.

“It’s easy to accept the risks when they’re hypothetical. It’s another thing when you know the sacrifices.”

“Would you take it back?” The Eternal Queen asked.

“No,” Lina said after a moment of reflection.

“There you have it.” The Eternal Queen concluded, “Now, you are free to go and enjoy the rest of your day.”

* * *

“You’ve been silent.” Lina commented as she walked with Gourry on the outskirts of town. To avoid intercepting another crowd of people, they had exited the palace using the back gate that took them to the woods, and they then proceeded to navigate the path less traveled. While Lina knew that eventually they would have to find their way to the crowded merchants street to get to her parents’ home, she was keen to avoid it for as long as she could.

“It’s a lot to take in.” Gourry said. 

“What do you think about training people to kill Mazoku?” Lina asked tepidly as she grabbed a stick as started to hit the trees they passed with it. He was so noble and moral. Surely if there was something wrong with it, he would set things straight.

“I think so many people have suffered, because they got dragged into something they had no idea how to handle. Maius and Jade. Aria and Bell. Even Luke and Milina got in over their heads. It may seem foolhardy to train people to do this work, but someone has to be trained in how to protect everyday people from them, you know?”

Lina felt a little bit better, “So I guess we’re not just training the next generation to go into battle and die.”

He wrapped an arm around her, “You have a way of encouraging people to fight against death.” He commented.

She took a deep breath and fought to steady her nerves. While it was a pleasant anxiety that included a great deal of eager anticipation, she also wondered if she should ask him about the wedding hints. But before she could, he stopped before a tree and pulled her in front of him.

“Gourry?” she asked.

“I know that there’s a lot to talk about.” He said, his voice huskier than usual, “However, right now, all I want to do is kiss you.”

Lina felt her heart race as she smiled, noting just how alone they were and how unlikely it was that someone would come here and find them, and brought her face closer to his, “For once, a good idea was churned from that soup you call a brain.”

As soon as their lips touched it was though the torrent of emotions they had felt for the past two years but ignored so they could focus on staying alive burst to the surface as she wrapped her arms around him while his hands started skimming her hair as they trailed down her back. She grinned a little and wondered what she should do with her own hands. Should she be daring and start to explore him? Or keep them where they were?

That he was not engaging in similar deliberations became apparent as his hands moved further south, crossing the line of her back and skimming her butt. She gasped, and he broke away to ask, “You’re not going to hit me for that, are you?”

“Only if you stop,” she murmured as she pressed herself against him as his hands clasped around her bottom for a moment before he coaxed her to lift one leg around his hip as she gasped as desire pulsed through her. 

He moaned and broke the kiss to lean his head back as he seemed to take a moment to ground himself, a moment Lina was not willing to give him as she seized the opportunity to plant a kiss on his throat before moving up to his jawline, causing her to give a little yelp as his hands tightened momentarily before he moved them back up to her waist as he started lowering them to the ground so he was sitting legs straight forward with her facing him on his lap, her legs circling him as they returned to kissing each other on the mouth.

Lina moved her hands to his chest, ears perked to gauge his reaction. When she heard giggling, she was momentarily confused. But then they broke away from each other to find, to their alarm, that a group of school children was watching them, and that their remote spot was not nearly remote enough. Lina blushed as Gourry looked at them in annoyance as he asked, “Do you mind?”

“No,” one of the girls said as she giggled, “No, not at all. Go back to kissing. We liked watching.”

“Burst Rondo!” Lina screeched, though thankfully she aimed just beside them to scare them.

Yet as the kids exclaimed excitedly about the adventure they would be able to tell their classmates about the next day, it became apparent that she had failed in doing so. Lina and Gourry looked at each other, stunned into silence, as they kids descended upon them to ask for their autographs.

* * *

“Might I comment, that those kids spying on you isn’t nearly as bad as what you did to Luna so long ago.” Leia said as she looked up from her menu. Naturally the news that a group of kids had spied Lina and Gourry kissing passionately in the woods had spread to her parents’ store faster than they had gotten home, and Lina had had yet to hear the end of it.

“Shit, Sis is going to bring that up tomorrow, I know it!” Lina moaned as another worry added to her pile. Then she sighed, “Look, I had planned to stay a month or so, but now I think I just want to go and check out my house in the nice, secluded country side.”

“Oh, honey, but you only just got home!” Leia protested, “I’m sure it will die down…”

“Dame Inverse?” a woman walking with a child asked, and Lina worried that it was one of the kids she had nearly scorched with a Burst Rondo.

“Yes?” Lina said.

“My daughter was wondering if she might have your autograph.”

“Um, okay.” Lina said, relieved until she finished signing the girl’s book, when she looked up and found three more kids standing there holding autograph books. Once she signed their books, there were six more waiting for her, until the number seemed to multiply infinitely and she was surrounded by people asking for an autograph. Eventually her stomach growled, reminding her that she’d had yet to even place her order in.

“Okay, that’s enough, wait outside, a hero has got to eat, you know?” she yelled, and then watched in dismay as a crowd started to form outside, watching her every move unabashedly. “I guess I’m going to be getting home late tonight.”

“You know,” Leia said as she watched the growing crowd, her eyes wide, “Perhaps your father and I could let Luna hold down the store for a month or so while we visit you in Maninstit.”

Finally, to Lina’s great relief, a waitress walked over and pulled the blinds down, blocking the crowd from sight and giving her some privacy, “I guess we need to inquire if there is a back exit.” Lina said as the waitress came to their table to take their order.

* * *

Gourry watched as Han impaled the worm on the hook and then threw the line back before he flung it into the creek. “You know, Lina has this useful spell that makes the fish bite.” Gourry commented as he baited his own hook as he desperately hoped that he wouldn’t bring up the kissing episode that all of Zefiel City seemed to have heard about.

“Of course I know.” Han said, “But we’re not in a rush. When you’re traveling it makes sense to use such measures, but off the road, it just seems like cheating.” 

“Oh, I see.” Gourry said as he threw his own line in, “You actually like fishing.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” he asked.

Gourry shrugged and smiled, “You have a point there.”

They were silent for a moment as they enjoyed the beautiful spring day. And then Han turned to Gourry and said, “A word of advice, girls don’t like it when boys are vague about their intentions.”

Gourry nearly lost his footing but hoped he recovered fast enough so it was not noticeable, “Huh?”

“Like today at breakfast.” Han said, “With the whole town and her own mother shoving innuendos down her throat it only confuses her that you’re so vague about it. Especially if you’re kissing now. It’s no wonder she hit you.”

“I guess I did deserve that.” Gourry agreed as he blushed.

“Considering the pattern, you know it’s coming, yet you do it anyway.” he pointed out, “Look, if you aren’t ready to get married now, just be straight with her. Tell her you need more time.”

Gourry watched the line before saying carefully, “So you approve of me and Lina being together?”

“You are an idiot,” he replied, “Do you think my wife and I would have let Lina traverse the continent on her own at the age of thirteen if we didn’t trust her to make these decisions? Look, I didn’t raise an idiot. It’s more important what she thinks of the two of you being together than what I think. And besides, I’m not going to have to live with you.”

“That’s true, but what you think is still important to me.” Gourry said.

“Why is that?”

“Well, my family isn’t in the picture, so it’s just me.”

“Do you think we care about that? It was just me and Leia when we settled here. It’s not as though we come from some noble family. Ceiphied knows how we got blessed with Luna.”

“That’s not what I mean.” Gourry said, “Look, if Lina didn’t have a family or if she wanted nothing to do with you, it wouldn’t matter to me. But she has a family and she wants you in her life. And I would never want her to have to choose between you and me.” 

Han chewed on his unlit cigarette, “That’s noble, but we care enough about Lina to make it work with whoever she chooses.”

“In a lot of families it doesn’t work like that.” Gourry said, “And when you marry someone, you marry their family. And it’s what I’ve wanted since I’ve lost mine, a family. So it’s important for me to know that there is a place…”

His voice trailed off as his line went tight and he had to focus on reeling in one of the largest cat fish he’d ever laid eyes on. Han cheered as he stared at the fish in amazement, “Way to go, Gourry, that will provide a good dinner for the two of us! Now let’s go home and get it cleaned up.”

“Yeah,” Gourry said as he mused that he didn’t realize that fish came in sizes that large as he started to walk beside her father, who clasped him on the back in a friendly manner.

“If you’re that good at fishing, trust me, there will always be a place at our table.” Han said. “So long as you let Lina know what your intentions are.”

“I will.” Gourry said, “Once we get to Maninstit and get a bit of our privacy back, I will.”


	4. Chapter 4

Dark clouds gathered ominously, casting the world in shadow as Lina approached the grave. Thunder cackled menacingly in the distance, almost as though some ancient god were laughing sardonically from above. The grave became illuminated by the brief flicker of the lightning as Lina drew closer, and she gasped as she saw Luke’s name etched on it. But how? There had been no body to bury.

 

Lina shuddered as the heat left her body as the feeling arose that she had walked through a ghost. Lightning flared with such intensity that Lina was momentarily blinded, and when her vision recovered her eyes fell upon the mound of dirt in front of the gravestone, which was currently bulging out of the earth as though it was going to erupt. When the ground did part, a skull rose from the grave, followed by a body. Lina felt her heart race as she recognized Luke, desiccated and decomposed, his eyes flashing red as he said accusingly, “How dare you celebrate at my grave!”

 

Lina cried out as she bolted upright in her bed. She brought her hand to her mouth as she choked back a sob as she struggled to get her bearings and determine what was real and what was a dream. From beneath her bunk she heard Gourry shift as he got out of bed. _Damn,_ she wondered as she suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious, _did I wake the whole house with my silliness?_

“You okay?” he asked as he put a hand on her shoulder.

 

She took a deep breath and struggled to compose herself. “Just a silly dream. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

 

Lina turned to get out of the bunk as Gourry looked as clueless as ever as he leaned against her bed, “I was having a bad dream anyway.”

 

Lina spun on her heels to look at him, “You were not!”

 

“How would you know?” he asked.

 

“Because I do!” she yelled, which resulted in one of her parents banging on the wall from the room over. She sighed, “Let’s go for a walk.”

 

As she pulled her boots on she reflected that she felt a little better now. The fear was gone. The sadness was another matter. She exchanged a brief glance with Gourry, and the two of them left. Lina felt a weight lift from her as they stepped outside. She had forgotten how claustrophobic her parents’ house was. No wonder the road had beckoned from such a young age!

 

They climbed down the stairs, and Lina noted that they had a few hours before dawn. Hopefully this meant that the town would be deserted and that they wouldn’t be swarmed with people. Indeed, the not a soul could be seen as they started to walk the streets. _Better enjoy it while it lasts,_ Lina told herself.

 

Gourry wrapped an arm around her as he casually asked. “What did you dream about?”

 

Every so often, Lina marveled at how comfortable she was talking to him about anything that made her appear weak. But then her sister would have tormented her mercilessly for letting a stupid dream bother her so. Gourry had a way of making it seem like no big deal. And she desperately needed to talk. “That Luke came back from the grave to tell me what he thought of me being made a hero because of his death.”

 

“Lina…”

 

“It doesn’t seem right.”

 

Gourry was quite for a moment before he said, “He wanted us to do it, you know. Called us. He wanted our help.”

 

“I know that.” Lina snapped, “And…when I remember that part of it, I get so mad at him for it! Furious that he forced my hand with it!"

 

"It’s natural that you would be mad."

 

Lina calmed down a little as she continued, "But then I think about how he’s dead. Because I killed him. And I’m back to feeling guilty for even being mad at him!”

 

“And I sometimes I get mad at him for putting you through this.” Gourry said, “But then I think, he was overpowered by Shabranigdu. What would I do in his situation? I’d call for help, someone I trusted to do the hard thing. So really I have to get mad at Shabranigdu, not Luke. And that’s why we’re going to keep up the fight.”

 

Lina smiled a little at the implication in his statement that he planned to stick around. But still. “Of course we’re going to keep the fight up. It just feels as though I’m getting rewarded for…” she took a moment and then finally spat it out, “killing my friend.”

 

She braced herself for a series of protests that she shouldn’t think like that. Instead he said quietly, “I felt that way, after I left home with the Sword of Light. My intentions were good, to stop everyone from killing each other. But by doing so, I had in my possession the object that everyone was killing each other for. Sometimes it seemed that if I wanted to truly be selfless I should have thrown it away, but I didn’t. I kept it.”

 

“I hadn’t thought of it like that.” Lina commented slowly. Somehow it did help to know she wasn’t the only one struggling with a sense of guilt.

 

“And we wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t done it, would we?”

 

Lina thought for a moment, and then leaned her head and rested it against his shoulder as they walked, and not even the fact that the street was starting to wake up as lights started to come on and merchants started to get their shops ready could detour her from her public display of affection. “Oh look, a pair of lovebirds.” A woman said as they walked past.

 

“We’ve been spotted.” Lina muttered.

 

“We’d best get back to your parents. Catch a few more hours sleep.” Gourry said quietly as they turned around. Neither of them felt like being mobbed before breakfast.

 

“Not so fast.” And Lina felt gooseflesh erupt on her neck as she recognized Luna’s voice.

 

“Sis!” Lina said as she turned around, “What are you doing up so early?”

 

“Going to work.” Luna explained as she straightened her apron.

 

“Ceiphied’s Eats serves breakfast now?” Lina asked.

 

“Yeah, we realized so many travelers were moving out before lunch.” Luna replied. “Come on, I have something to show you.”

 

Lina exchanged a look with Gourry, and they both fell in step with Luna. “So, will we get a discount on breakfast?” Lina asked.

 

“Nice try.” Luna snapped.

 

“Meanie.” Lina replied as she did her best to hide how nervous she was. She’d never visited Ceiphied’s Eats while growing up. Between Luna and the other Ceiphied Knights who worked there, it was a big reminder that there was an elite, powerful club within the city that she could never match. She hated feeling out of her league. Still, if Luna was going to insist that she go, she would be suicidal to refuse.

 

Eventually Luna stopped before a small restaurant that was painted blue and had a sign with a dragon wearing a bib and holding a fork and spoon on it and unlocked the door, and then relocked it once she was inside with Lina and Gourry. “Chef.” Luna said in acknowledgement to a middle-aged man as they entered the kitchen.

 

“Luna.” He replied without looking up from his prep work as Luna pulled open a door built into the floor and climbed down a set of stairs therein. Lina and Gourry quietly followed her as Luna stopped to light a lantern and brought it down with her.

 

“I could do a light spell.” Lina said.

 

“Then do it.” Luna replied as they reached the ground floor and entered what could only be described as a war room.

 

“Wow.” Lina said as she saw a large table in the center of the room with a map of the Inner World laid out therein.

 

“As you can see, aside from some activity along the border of the Elmekian Empire and the Desert of Destruction things are mostly quiet now.” Luna said as she indicated some flags. “You should have seen what this looked like when Shabranigdu was active.”

 

“How up to date is this?” Gourry asked as he stared over the map critically.

 

“Well, as can be expected, the closer we are geographically the timelier our information is. Now, some places where there are larger populations of sorcerers and we can communicate with them using the Vision spell this is rather accurate. We have contacts in Saillune, Sairaag, Sellentia and Atlas City. But aside from that most of our information comes from travelers. It’s a skill, asking about attacks and strange occurrences. Most are happy to fill you in if you keep their drinks topped off.” Luna explained.

 

“What’s going on here?” Lina asked as she pointed at a series of flags around Gyria City.

 

“Dynast infiltrated so deep there that it continues to be a beacon for Mazoku activity, especially as no stable leader has emerged to rule the kingdom.” Luna said, “I don’t know how that kingdom is ever going to rebuild. Right now the King of Ralteague is looking at it with hungry eyes.”

 

Lina moaned, “That can of worms is not worth it.”

 

“We’re keeping a close eye on it.” Luna said.

 

Lina was about to ask another question when her eyes fell on a large volume on a bookshelf. “What the…” she said as she saw the words LINA TRACKING on the spine, “What’s this?”

 

Lina dashed across the room and opened it. “Well, did you honestly expect me not to keep tabs on you?” Luna asked as Lina looked through the bundle of papers.

 

“Notes on where I’ve been!” Lina screeched as she saw a log with dates, where a certain traveler was from, and what information he’d heard.

 

“Yeah, I’d ask travelers about you and then I’d write well known people in the area for information.” Luna said casually.

 

Lina flipped a few pages over, and found herself staring at King Philionel’s official seal. “Letters from Phil!” She flipped it again, “And Sylphiel? And wait a minute, how the hell did you track down Naga!?”

 

Luna shook her head, “Considering how pathetically little useful information she gave, it was so not worth the effort put in to track her down in the first place!”

 

“You were spying on me!?” Lina exclaimed.

 

“You were on the front lines.” Luna replied.

 

Lina flipped to another page and felt her jaw drop. “You wrote to Milgasea!?”

 

“He was perfectly happy to write to a Ceiphied Knight. He had some questions himself.” Luna responded.

 

Lina closed the book and wondered how she could create a diversion so she could swipe it and read it at her leisure when her eyes fell on a different book on the shelf labeled with Gourry’s name. “And it looks as though you did some background checking on Gourry.”

 

“Huh?” Gourry said as he looked caught off guard.

 

“Do you want to read it?” Luna asked casually. “We have some information on your family since you left.”

 

Gourry exhaled, “No.” he said quietly, “I closed the door on that part of my life. I’d much rather not open it.”

 

Lina looked at him. He’d told her the bare bones of what had happened, but she had a feeling she’d yet to grasp the full horror of it. If Gourry wasn’t wanting to check up on his family, then whatever happened must have been really bad. Lina then looked at the volume wistfully, her curiosity rising. As if she didn’t have enough innate curiosity, the fact that Luna likely knew some things about Gourry that she didn’t was enough to drive her mad!

 

“Likely for the best.” Luna said quietly, “You need to focus on the future.”

 

 _That bad, eh, Sis?_  Lina thought.

 

“What about you, Lina?” Luna asked as she grabbed the book and held it out to her.

 

Lina exhaled. _Well, you had to give me a choice._ Lina looked at Gourry, who looked at her stoically but did not give her any indication what he wanted her to do. A lot of memories flashed through her mind, of Gourry telling Zelgadis, Amelia and Xellos that if she was traveling with a Mazoku then she must have had a good reason for it, essentially communicating to them that he didn’t care how bad the situation looked, he trusted her enough to know that she planned to do the right thing. After he had given her that voice of confidence at a time when she well expected her friends to kick her to the streets with Gaav on her tail, how could she ask to read up on the dirt on him?

 

Besides, if there was something incriminating, Lina was fairly sure she would dismiss it. Lina could easily see how someone could look at a file on her and come to horrible conclusions about her if they simply saw that she killed her friend in battle without knowing the circumstances of her final encounter with Luke. And, like Gourry had said this morning, he’d felt guilty that he had even had the Sword of Light, so there very well could have been similar things in that file, things that looked bad on paper that you couldn’t fully grasp if you didn’t know the entire situation, or if you weren’t there making the hard choices in the heat of a moment.

 

Did she really want to give the word of some else so much weight? Especially if that someone had an axe to grind with Gourry?

 

“I know the man I’ve been with these past few years.” Lina finally said as she folded her arms across her chest decisively.

 

Gourry smiled a little as he patted her on the head. Luna looked at them neutrally, and Lina wondered if she thought she was being foolish or not. But then Luna nonchalantly put the book away, “Really we don’t have much in the way of sources in the Elmekian Empire. Mostly it’s a lot of boring stuff about the war you fought in.” Luna said, and Lina gaped at her as Luna spun around and started towards the stairs, “This joint is going to open in ten minutes, I need to get up there. Come on, and put your book back where you found it.”

 

 _Crap!_ Lina thought as she returned the volume of her deeds back to the shelf beside Gourry’s. She then looked around the room longingly. So much information! And the likelihood that Luna would ever let her in here to peruse it at her leisure was small. Still, Lina reflected as she walked up the stairs, there was a reason she had gotten so good at picking locks.

* * *

 

Luna lived in a nice cottage close to Ceiphied’s Eats. While it was certainly no palace, it was spacious enough that even with two small boys Gourry wondered why he and Lina hadn’t stayed with her. Especially since, as Lina’s meeting with the Eternal Queen had already successfully taken place, Luna seemed to have resumed the nurturing older sister role as she doled food out on their plates. It wasn’t home cooking. Luna apparently brought dinner home from Ceiphied Eat’s every night and simply didn’t cook herself. But it was still good food.

 

As the sisters gabbed pleasantly, Gourry regarded Luna’s husband, Harold. “So, what do you do for a living?” Gourry asked.

 

“I procure rare items for the Sorcerer’s Guild.” Harold explained as he took a sip of his wine.

 

“Oh, so you travel a lot?”

 

“No, when a group of merchants pass through Luna or one of the other waitresses directs them to me, and if there’s anything of value I give them an offer they can’t refuse.”

 

Gourry frowned, “Valuable in what way?”

 

“Rare magical items, swords, anything that can be used to boost magical power. That sort of thing.” Harold replied.

 

“What if the merchants don’t want to part with those items?”

 

“Everyone has their buying price.” Harold replied, wincing as one of his sons started to paint his arm with ketchup. “That’s enough Freddie!”

 

Freddie grinned mischievously as Luna grabbed a washcloth and started wiping down his hands. Quietly Gourry said, “I wouldn’t have sold the Sword of Light, no matter how much money you gave me.”

 

“We wouldn’t have needed you to sell it.” Luna said as she stared distastefully at the wash cloth, “We would have done essentially what we already have, offered you a plum position with us and let you keep your weapon.”

 

“What if I still refused?” Gourry asked.

 

Luna and Harold shrugged nonchalantly, “You’re not going to get every deal.”

 

“It’s just that you put so much thought into this.” Lina said.

 

“Well, look at what happened in Saillune and Dils.” Luna pointed out, “They were unprepared when Mazoku infiltrated their kingdoms. Fortunately you put a stop to things in Saillune before they got too bad, but Dils is in horrible shape. Humans simply can’t trust that we’re too inconsequential for the Mazoku race to ignore.”

 

“I can see that.” Lina said thoughtfully, “What are the other countries doing?”

 

“Saillune is wanting to follow our lead. They’re even sending one of their princesses down.”

 

“Amelia!?” Lina exclaimed.

 

“I believe so.” Luna replied. “She should be here with her husband in a few days.”

 

“Amelia got married!?” Lina and Gourry both exclaimed.

 

Luna laughed a little, “It was a shocker. She eloped apparently. Saillune is in an uproar about it, she was rather valuable on the marriage market after all.”

 

Lina let out a low whistle, “I can see Amelia doing that. She’d get so caught up in the romance of it all. When will they be here?”

 

“Any day, depending on travel conditions. Bertie, stop that.” Luna directed as her other son started to bang his spoon on the table. “There’s one thing I need to talk to you about.” Luna said.

 

“What?” Lina said.

 

“That spell.”

 

There was an awkward silence, and no one had to ask Luna which spell she was asking about. It was obvious she meant the Giga Slave. He noticed Lina tense as she wondered if Luna was about to take her to task. “What about it?” she asked.

 

“How do you feel about teaching it to others?”

 

Lina exhaled in relief. “It’s not exactly a spell I want everyone to know about.”

 

Luna nodded in agreement as Lina continued, “But the world would have been destroyed if I’d not learned it. And restricting people’s knowledge never ends well.”

 

“Yeah,” Harold piped in, “There’s no better way to ensure that people learn about something then by making it restricted.”

 

Lina nodded, “So I guess I’m going to have to be very careful about who I teach the spell to.”

 

“I guess I’ll just have to trust you there.” Luna said as the menacing air returned, “And if you’re wrong…”

 

“No pressure.” Lina said with a little laugh.

 

* * *

Bertie, or was it Freddie, screeched as Gourry grabbed and tickled him as he roughed housed on the floor with them. Lina turned to Luna who was sitting beside her on the couch and asked, “How do you tell them apart?”

 

“Bertie is taller and friendlier.” Luna explained. “And I usually put something blue on his clothes. Freddie has something green.”

 

“Oh.” Lina said.

 

“Is this getting that clock ticking?” Luna asked as she sipped her tea.

 

Lina blanched, “Is that why you invited me over?”  


“Well, you’re certainly slacking off with your nephews and letting your partner put in the hard work.”

 

“I know very little about kids.” Lina said. “Besides, I don’t see you on the floor with them.”

 

“Hey, when someone comes along who is willing to play with them, I know enough to sit back and enjoy the break.”

 

“You’re not exactly selling me on the idea, Sis.” Lina muttered.

 

“What idea?” Luna said with mock cluelessness.

 

Lina shook her head in exasperation as Luna got out a bundle of laundry from somewhere and started folding socks. “Here.” Luna said as she forced a tiny pair of baby socks in Lina’s hands, “The boys have outgrown them. Save them for the future.”

 

Lina brought the socks close to inspection and felt something strange happen to her as she noticed how cute and tiny they were! Lina felt her heart lurch as she noticed the knitted design of a little blue jellyfish on them and it was all she could do to keep from cooing in delight. What was it about seeing little socks that evoked such a strong desire to hold a tiny baby? _Damn you Luna!_

 

But then she smiled as a wicked glint formed in her eye and she said, “It’s not fair that they were babies when I was off saving the world. Why don’t you keep these socks and have a third? That way I can be there from day one to spoil him rotten!”

 

“It’s on the agenda.” Luna said nonchalantly, “After getting a raise and the twins out of diapers.”

 

“Sure.” Lina said.

 

“Do you want to stay with us tonight?” Luna asked, “We have a guest room so you two won’t be crammed in like sardines.”

 

Lina blushed a little, “Sounds good, I guess.”

 

“How long until you go to Maninstit?”

 

“I think we’ll head out tomorrow.” Lina said, “The crowds here are overwhelming. I never thought I’d say it, but I’m looking forward to some quiet.”

 

“I can’t blame you.” Luna replied, and then she leaned in close so that Gourry couldn’t hear, “When he finally pops the question, don’t you even dare think of doing what your friend the Saillune princess did and elope. The Eternal Queen plans to attend herself.”

 

Lina felt herself heat with rage as she screamed, “Stop making assumptions!”

 

“Everything okay?” Gourry asked as he looked up from playing with the boys while Harold walked in from the other room with a plate of cookies.

 

“Fine.” Luna said, unperturbed. “Everything is going A okay according to plan!” 


	5. Chapter 5

“It sure is pretty here.” Gourry commented as he surveyed the grounds they were walking through. But not just any grounds. They were now at Maninstit. These grounds were now Lina’s.

 

“I just still can’t believe it’s mine.” Lina said as the manor house came into view.

 

“What do you think?” he asked.

 

“That even if we have to train fifty students I don’t know what I’ll do with all of that space!” Lina replied as she wondered if there had been some sort of mistake. Perhaps they were looking at the wrong house and any minute the smaller one would come into view.

 

“Well,” he said quietly in his sweet manner, “You can marry me and we can fill it with children.”

 

Lina continued walking for a few steps and then stopped as she turned to look at him. “What?”

 

“Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do now?” he asked cluelessly.

 

Lina pulled out her slipper and slapped him with it. “What?” he asked, “You don’t want to get married?”

 

“Idiot!” she yelled, “When you phrase it like that it sounds like an obligation!”

 

“Does this help?” he asked as he held out a pair of bracelets before her, and Lina felt as though the wind had been knocked from her sails as she recognized the emerald jewel on the bracelets.

 

“Are those from the treasure chest we helped reclaim for the Duchess of Emels?” she asked.

 

“She gave them to me as a token of her appreciation. I had these made shortly thereafter.” Gourry explained.

 

“But that was months ago.” Lina replied as she stared at the bracelets and suddenly had to fight the urge to tear up.

 

He moved a bit closer to her and grabbed her hand, “I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.”

 

“But you never said anything!” Lina protested.

 

“A decision like this deserves a lot of thought, right?” he asked, “Besides, it was important to me to meet your family first. I just wasn’t expecting the reception to be so enthusiastic.”

 

Lina laughed a little. “It has been overwhelming.”

 

“That’s why I wanted to ask you here, with no one around to pressure us.” He explained.

 

Lina drew a deep breath as she reached out and grabbed one of the bracelets and admired the beauty of its simple design. She then offered him her hand, and he smiled a bit as his body relaxed as he took the bracelet back only to tie it around her wrist, and then he offered her his hand in return. Once she had tied the bracelet on his wrist she smiled coyly and said, “Well, you are right about one thing. These decisions shouldn’t be rushed. I’ll get back to you in a few months about what my answer will be.”

 

“It’s too late, Lina. You’re already wearing the bracelet!” he pointed out as she started walking towards the manor.

 

“I’m just trying it on to see how I like it!” she replied flippantly.

 

“No returns, no refunds.” He sang as he wrapped an arm around her. She cuddled up to him as they walked together, and then they both straightened a bit when they saw the door to the manor open and three people walk out, a man and two women, who went to stand along the side of the house.

 

“As far as welcoming committees go,” Lina whispered, “This isn’t too bad.”

 

Gourry said nothing as they approached the group, and Lina realized she was about to learn if she was sorely mistaken about the house or not. But the man look at her and asked, “Lady Lina Inverse?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Lord Gourry Gabriev. I am Jeeves, your butler. Welcome to Maninstit.”

 

“Thank you.” Lina said as she tried not to look too impressed with what she saw.

 

“And this is the cook, Nelly, and the housekeeper, Alona.”

 

“It’s good to meet you.”

 

“And you!” Alona said, “Come on in, Nelly just finished lunch, you’re just in time.”

 

Lina and Gourry smiled as they looked at each other, “Food sounds great.”

 

Lina moved to follow the group into the manor, but was stopped as Gourry put a hand on her shoulder, and then he scooped her up in his arms. “Gourry?” she asked.

 

“Isn’t it tradition?” he said as he carried her over the threshold.

 

“We’re not married yet!”

 

“But it’s the first time we’re walking into our home!” he said, “So let’s take it on the safe side.

 

Alona’s response to Gourry’s actions was drowned by a torrent of sadness that seemed to cascade through Lina without cause or reason as they crossed the threshold. It was so overwhelming that tears started to fall down her face as she wondered if she would ever be happy again. And then, just as suddenly as it had struck, it vanished.

 

“Lina?” Gourry asked as he wiped the tears from her eyes. “You okay?”

 

“Oh, I hate it when that happens!” Alona said.

 

“What?” Lina asked, feeling confused and a little embarrassed as Gourry set her down. “I felt like I stepped in someone’s grave.”

 

“Well, you know how old houses are.” Alona replied cryptically, “Come, the dining room is this way, and you don’t want your lunch to get cold!”

* * *

 

“And here is your bedroom.” Alona said as she finished giving Lina a tour of the house after she had eaten lunch.

 

Lina’s eyes widened as they drifted to the balcony and then to the large bed piled high with pillows and comfy sheets. Growing up she’d shared such a tiny room with Luna, and she’d always expected something similar as an adult. And the inns she had stayed at were nothing remarkable, and they weren’t even hers for more than a day. Yet now the room she had couldn’t even compare to the palaces she’d stayed at as she had been relegated to the quarters for a bodyguard. Simply put, it was the nicest room she had stayed in during her entire life!

 

“Would you like me to draw you a bath?” Alona asked.

 

“That would be great, thanks!” Lina said as she set her stuff down and started to unpack.

 

“I can do that, dear.”

 

“I’d much rather handle my stuff.” Lina said as she suddenly felt strangely defensive about her privacy, “It is rather sensitive.”

 

“I understand my lady.”

 

 _Some of this is going to that lovely office I now have. I could ask Alona to take it down for me,_ but Lina felt strangely hesitant to follow through on it as she started pulling books, journals, and supplies from her bags. It would be strange having a different room for all of her stuff. She was used to doing her work in a room at a cramped inn before going to sleep, sometimes sliding the short distance from her desk chair to her hotel bed. Now she would have a separate space for work and sleep. What was she going to do with all this space?

 

Lina had finished putting her clothing into the drawers when Alona came out, “The bath is ready, my lady. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

 

“Thanks, kick your feet up until dinner, alright?” Lina said.

 

“Thanks, ma’am.”

 

Alona left and closed the door behind her, and Lina walked over to the bathroom and felt her jaw drop when she opened the door. The tub was more like a miniature pool than a bathtub for one thing, and tiled with a beautiful mosaic of Ceiphied battling Shabranigdu. She grinned as she started to disrobe, eagerly anticipating a nice, relaxing soak.

 

Yet once Lina entered the tub, she found it strangely hard to relax. It was simply too quiet. The inns she had stayed at for the last five years of her life had been noisy and crowded, and the walls unbearably thin. While she would have thought that the silence would be welcome, strangely, she found the opposite to be true. After all, don’t animals go quiet when they hear a predator? Lina suddenly found herself too guarded to fully enjoy the bath as she kept an ear out for any signs of an enemy.

 

Yet the attack never came, and eventually Lina got out, toweled off, and wrapped herself in her robe, which suddenly felt too shoddy for the house she was living in. _I guess I’m going to have to go into town soon and update my wardrobe._ Lina thought, and then she chided herself. She had been so desperate to get away from the crowds, and now she was looking for an excuse to go back!

 

Lina had just gotten back into her bedroom when a door, partially concealed behind the dresser opened and Gourry walked in. “Oh, hi Lina!”

 

“Hey!” she said as she went up and hugged him, happy to have someone to break the silence with. “How did you get in here?”

 

“Our rooms have a secret hallway that connects them to each other.” He explained, “I was just seeing where each door in my room led, and this one took me here.”

 

“Oh,” Lina said as she blushed a little as she remembered the purpose of having hallways that connected the rooms of the master and mistress of the house. “Any other secret tunnels we should know about?”

 

“Not that I could find. Every other entrance to my room was accounted for.” He said.

 

“But there could be secret passageways…with treasure.” Lina said as she brightened at the thought of exploring this quiet, but suddenly rather intriguing house.

 

He grinned wickedly as he fingered the sash on her robe, “We could start by checking out your bed.”

 

“What sort of treasures are you expecting to find in a bed?” she asked, though she had to admit, suddenly being in a silent, secluded house of her own was looking pretty darn appeasing again.

 

He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “You’re not wearing anything under that robe, are you?”

 

Lina took a deep breath and steadied her nerves as she sat back on the bed, “I guess you’re just going to have to come over and see.”

* * *

 

Afterwards, Lina lay curled up to Gourry, holding him gently. The quiet seemed easier to bear when he was beside her and with his heart beating in her ear. She smiled a little as she stroked his chest absent mindedly and let herself enjoy the moment.

 

“Hey Lina,” he said.

 

“What?” she asked.

 

“Do you think we made a baby?”

 

Lina’s eyebrows shot up a little, but then she laughed a little, “No.”

 

“You seem rather sure of that.”

 

“Back in Saillune Amelia taught me a spell to get rid of my time of the month,” she explained, “And it also prevents pregnancy.”

 

He sat up a little bit, “But you can undo it, right!?”

 

“Well, I was young, and I just wasn’t thinking that far ahead at the time and...”

 

He looked at her panicked for a moment, and then Lina laughed and punched him playfully on the shoulder, “Gotcha. Of course it’s reversible. I just want to wait until everything is official. I don’t want to walk down the aisle covering a bump with an oversized bouquet. And I’m not exactly looking forward to visits from Aunt Flo again.”

 

“I didn’t know you had an Aunt Flo.” Gourry said. “You’ve never talked about her before.”

 

Lina gritted her teeth, “Oh, I am going to be dealing with this idiocy for the rest of my life!”

 

“You know you love me.” He said as he leaned forward to kiss her.

 

“You sure are sounding cocky there.” She said, though she returned the kiss enthusiastically.

 

“Think we have time for another go before dinner?” he asked.

 

Someone knocked, and both of them jumped, and Lina had barely pulled the covers over herself when Alona opened the door. “Lady Inverse, Princess Amelia of Saillune is here to see you, along with her husband.”

 

Both Lina and Gourry were flaming red with embarrassment, but Alona acted as though it was rather common for her to walk in on her employers during their more intimate moments. “Shut the door!” Lina managed to sputter. “We’ll be right down!”

 

Alona nodded and closed the door as she left. Lina exhaled. “This is all going to take some getting used to.”

 

“It’s problems that we’re lucky to have though, isn’t it?” Gourry asked, though he was still about as beat red as Lina had ever seen him.

 

Lina smiled a little as she held his hand, “When you put it like that. Anyway, we should get dressed and see Amelia and meet her husband. Round two will just have to wait until after dinner.”

* * *

 

 _I am not lost in my own home, I am not lost in my own home,_ Lina thought to herself as she navigated the unfamiliar layout and tried to find where Amelia would be. It didn’t help that Alona hadn’t told her which room they were in, and that Lina had been too embarrassed at the time to ask. And given how used to strange places Lina was it should be natural for her to get the layout of her house down easily. But the truth was she was walking blindly.

 

Eventually Lina found them in one of the house’s many parlors, and she tried not to appear too relieved as Amelia practically jumped up and cried, “Miss Lina! This is so exciting!”

 

“Amelia!” Lina said, and she was surprised at how happy she actually was to see Amelia. But then, Amelia did know and understood just how hard and trying a lot of what she went through was, even if she’d never met Luke and Milina. “It’s good to see you.”

 

“You two look great!” Amelia said as her eyes trailed down to their wrists as her husband, a man who looked strangely familiar, came and stood beside her. “Are those bracelets bearing good news?”

 

“Oh,” Lina said with a smile as she looked at Gourry, “Are we announcing it?”

 

“Why, when everyone already assumes that it’s happening?” he said.

 

“So you are engaged!” Amelia said, “The Eternal Queen wasn’t sure.”

 

“We are now.” Lina said, “You saw the Queen?”

 

“Yeah, she told me to go find you here.” Amelia said, “And you two remember Zelgadis?”

 

“Of course,” Gourry said, “You heard from him lately?”

 

But Lina’s mouth dropped as it suddenly occurred to her why the man with Amelia looked so familiar. “You found your cure!” Lina stated.

 

“I was wondering if you’d notice.” Zelgadis said.

 

“This is Zel?” Gourry asked. “Being human suits you!”

 

“Thanks!” Zelgadis said.

 

“And you two got married. Wow.” Lina said, “I didn’t realize you two were a thing.”

 

“Well, you had a lot going on then.” Amelia said, “And we weren’t exactly open about it. There were so many barriers to being together.”

 

“But you overcame them.” Lina said.

 

“Congrats.” Gourry said.

 

“Congrats yourself!” Amelia replied, “Knighthood, plush job, nice house even if it is a little creepy, upcoming wedding. There’s plenty to keep us here until the news of our elopement dies down in Saillune.”

 

“Watch what you’re calling creepy!” Lina snapped as she suddenly felt defensive about her house, “Anyway, I guess I’d better tell Alona to prepare rooms for you. And we can go into town in a few days, I’ll introduce you to my Sis and help catch you to speed on what we are doing here in Zefiel City.”

 

“That will be nice.” Amelia said.

 

“Tell me, Zel, how did you manage to do it?” Lina asked as they all sat down and started to catch up.

* * *

 

“Is there anything else I can help you with before I leave for the night, my lady?” Alona asked as she opened Lina’s bedroom door after they had eaten.

 

“I think everything is fine, thanks. But you don’t stay here?”

 

“Goodness, no!” Alona said, “I have my own house on the property. None of the servants stay here at night.”

 

“But there’s plenty of space.” Lina said, surprised.

 

Alona shrugged, “Well, the residents just don’t like it.”

 

“Huh?” Lina said.

 

Alona frowned, and then she said quietly, “Mind the sad lady, she likes to stir up trouble. Everyone else is rather harmless. Goodnight my lady.”

 

And before Lina could say anything else she had shut the door behind her. Lina stared at the door for a moment, a million questions on her lips, when Gourry suddenly came in from his own private entrance. “I thought she’d never leave!” he said as he got into bed with her, “You okay?”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing. The maid here is just weird.”

* * *

 

Lina’s eyes shot open and she sat up in her strange bed and looked around the room. Beside her Gourry slept soundly. She took a deep breath and thought about cuddling closer to him when a chill went through her, causing a sensation of overwhelming sadness similar to the one she experienced when she entered the building to overwhelm her. And then a translucent figure flowed into the room through a wall. She was a middle aged woman wearing a style of dress that hadn’t been popular for centuries, and she appeared to be very unhappy as she floated to the edge of the bed and whispered, “Get out!”

 

Lina screamed as she woke up, for real this time, “LIGHTING!” she cried as Gourry put a hand on her arm.

 

“It was just a dream.” He said as Lina shot out of bed and started searching the room, the sense of sadness clinging persistently to her.

 

“There is something strange about this house!” Lina said.

 

“Huh?” Gourry said.

 

And then from down the hallway they heard Amelia scream. They exchanged a glance, and each threw on their robes as they ran to check on her. Lina knocked on the door, “Come in.” Amelia said.

 

They came in and saw Zelgadis rub Amelia’s back. “Bad dream?” Lina asked.

 

Amelia nodded.

 

“Let me guess. Feelings of sadness?”

 

Amelia wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded as she said, “Middle aged woman crying ‘get out?’”

 

“Damn.” Lina said, and she wished her intuition had not been correct.

 

Suddenly, the ghostly echo of children’s laughter rang through the house. “What the…” Gourry said, and he and Lina raced to where it came from and found themselves in the library, where small orbs of light went dashing through the room as if in play. There seemed to be about twenty of them, climbing at the curtains, throwing books off the shelves, and playing ball with a globe. Lina exhaled, and reminded herself to be thankful that she had a maid to clean up the mess in the morning. But still.

 

“Lina?” Gourry asked, “does this mean out place is haunted?”

 

“Oh!” Lina said as she pulled at her hair as Zelgadis and Amelia joined them. “This is just my luck! I get a lovely house of my own and it’s haunted! Figures.”

 


	6. Chapter 6

“Well, it’s a good thing Amelia is here, isn’t it?” Gourry said as he glanced at Amelia, who was already chanting, before he went back to surveying their library where the ghosts were happily wreaking havoc. “She can get rid of them, right?”

“Something tells me that if it was that easy, it would have already been taken care of.” Lina said as Amelia stopped chanting.

“You’re right about that, Miss Lina.” Amelia said, “There’s a portal in this house.”

“A what?” Gourry asked.

“It’s like a door to the afterlife.” Zelgadis explained.

“That doesn’t sound like something that’s good to have in your house!” Gourry exclaimed, “Lina, we have to ask the Queen for a mansion that isn’t haunted!”

“Idiot!” Lina screeched, “And tell the Eternal Queen and all of Zefiel City that we can’t handle a stupid haunting!? What kind of a stupid idea is that!”

“Don’t worry, Mr. Gourry,” Amelia said, “It’s not something we can fall into and kill ourselves by walking through. It just means that the souls of everyone who has died within a certain radius will travel here to go through the portal, which is why exorcisms won’t work, because they banish beings to places with portals…which would be here.”

“Is there any way to close it?” Lina asked.

“Portals are created when a terrible tragedy happens, and to close it we would have to find the ghost who opened it and appease her.”

“Her?” Gourry asked.

“The Sad Lady.” Lina muttered.

“How do you know it was her?” Gourry asked.

“Alona, the maid, mentioned her. If all of the other ghosts are just passing through it wouldn’t make sense to name them. And since the Sad Lady has a name…”

“And she definitely wants you to feel her pain.” Amelia added.

Before Lina could reply she felt a sudden icy breeze wash over her and she started to shudder, and it took a quick glance at the group to realize she was not the only one. More alarming was when she could see her breath when she exhaled and Gourry observed, “The children have stopped playing.”

Lina looked into the library and found that all of the ghost children were now standing eerily still as they looked at the living, their eyes black sockets standing in stark contrast to their sheet white bodies as they grinned expectantly. And then the singing started. It was like listening to a soprano singing from beneath a lake, the sound filtering awkwardly through the water, and coming out distorted. Lina’s hair about stood on end and Amelia let out a squeak as they looked around to find where the song was coming from. Gourry’s mouth fell open as he pointed down the hallway towards a tall, hooded, shadowy figure who was holding a lantern as she slowly glided towards them. Gourry pulled Lina to the side, and it was a good thing, because she hadn’t noticed that the children were starting to float towards the Hooded Ghost, as though they were drawn to her like moths. Zel cried out as one walked through him.

“Damn, that was…” Zel said as he shook his head in distaste as the rest of the group continued to stare at the Hooded Ghost, who was still singing her creepy song. For some reason, Lina felt hypnotized by the words, which were just on the border of comprehension. She felt if she concentrated a little bit harder she could decipher the lyrics.

“Is that the Sad Lady?” Gourry asked, and Lina blinked.

“No.” Lina said, but before she could justify her explanation they all cried out as the Hooded Ghost started to move towards them.

The group pressed themselves against the wall to give the entourage as much room as possible as they paraded by them in some sort of macabre spectacle. Lina’s stomach flipped as the Hooded Ghost slowly walked past them and turned to face them, revealing a skeletal face within the hood. And then, somehow, she favored them with a most disquieting smile, and Lina decided then and there that if there was one thing skeletons should never do, it was smile! Lina felt as though her heart were about to leap out of her chest, but finally the Hooded Ghost turned to face forward again as she walked past them, and that was when Lina noticed that the children weren’t the only lost souls following in her wake. There was also an assortment of elderly people, now dead, as well as a few young people sporting hideous wounds or rashes. Travelers on their way to the portal? A thought popped into Lina’s mind. 

“If we want to know where the portal is, we’d better follow them.” Lina said.

“Why do we want to know that!” Gourry asked, his voice at an interesting octave.

“Because,” Lina said as she glanced at Amelia, “It may be difficult to close a portal, but what about containing it?”

“Well, it will exhaust my capacity for a day, but it’s not as if we’re on the road right now. I can do it.” Amelia said. 

Lina started to follow the procession, and everyone else started to follow her. “So if it’s contained, what does that mean?” Gourry asked through chattering teeth, but Lina didn’t wonder if he was losing his backbone. She was shivering so much that she felt as though her skeleton would burst through her skin!

“Just what it sounds like,” Lina said. In truth, she welcomed the conversation. Walking behind a group of the recently deceased and listening to the Hooded Ghost’s ethereal song gave her too much of a preview of what walking to her final destination would be like. “The Sad Lady won’t be able to leave the area she is contained in. Neither will other ghosts, so we won’t have to engage in this nocturnal adventure every night.”

“I can also make the only entrance to the portal through a wall that faces outside and boost that signal a bit, so the ghosts won’t get lost in the house.” Amelia added, and then she shrieked a little as a ghost with his eye gauged out passed beside her to join them.

Zelgadis shook his head as he said as they approached the staircase and started to make their way down it, “This better not be a trap.”

“Why would a ghost set a trap for us?” Lina asked.

“Why would a ghost continue to haunt the living rather than move on to the awesome and amazing afterlife, where justice shines everywhere?!” Amelia added, even though her teeth were chattering.

“You sound a bit eager to go there.” Lina commented as she took a sharp intake of breath as another ghost joined the group. 

“No! No,” Amelia squeaked as they went down the stairs, “There’s no rush.”

“I really hope that this doesn’t end in the basement.” Gourry said as they reached the ground floor and continued to a door underneath the staircase.

“Oh, how hokey can this get?” Lina asked in exasperation as they approached it.

“Everything ends in the basement.” Zelgadis commented dryly as Lina opened the door that the ghosts had merely walked through.

Amelia let out a moan as she saw the dusty stone staircase the ghosts were gliding down. “Oh, buckle up!” Lina snapped as they started walking down it, though she did jump high as the door slammed behind them with an ominous finality.

The Hooded Ghost continued to sing her morbid song as the other ghosts provided light with their translucent, glowing bodies. “Hopefully the portal will be down here.” Lina said, “And that’s when we’ll need Amelia to work her magic.”

The ghosts finally seemed to reach solid ground, and soon Lina saw the stone floor of the basement in front of them, along with a collection of dusty, old, discarded and broken items. “Any chance that there could be hidden treasure in all this junk?” Lina mused as she started to examine a broken chair.

“She gets a manor, a title, a stipend, and still she seeks treasure.” Zelgadis muttered. “Your future bride is insatiable.”

“Says the man who married into wealth!” Lina snapped.

“Are you really going to explore this place?” Amelia asked as she started rubbing her hands over her arms to keep warm, “It gives me the creeps!”

“Sure,” Lina said, “In daylight, with no ghosts. There are bound to be tons of hidden rooms and passages that might hold something important. It’s my manor and I’m going to know everything about it!”

A loud clatter rang out, as the Hooded Ghost suddenly fixed them with another stare as she cackled manically, causing the group to jump and cry out, before they all suddenly vanished, leaving the basement pitch dark. “What the…” Lina started.

“Hush!” Gourry said.

Faintly, the sound of a new type of music teased their ears, that of a music box in a minor key. “Oh, it’s just some junk that got knocked over.” Lina said.

“Who grabbed my arm!?” Amelia cried out.

“Oh, LIGHTING!” Lina called at the same time Zelgadis did, bathing the basement in the comforting glow of their spells.

“But the music…” Gourry persisted as Amelia said, “I swear, someone is grabbing my arm!”

“Here!” Lina said as she reached down and picked up a music box. Once the satisfaction of finding the source wore off, Lina had to admit that the clown playing the cymbals was a bit creepy. She turned it off and sat it down.

“Where did the ghosts go?” Amelia asked as she continued to stare at her left arm.

“Did they go through the portal?” Gourry asked.

“No,” Amelia said decidedly. “Now that I’m down here, I’m rather sure that the portal isn’t here. Just like I am sure that someone is grabbing my arm and that we’re not alone down here.”

Lina paled, “Oh no she didn’t.”

“What?” Gourry asked.

“Trap us in the basement?” Zelgadis mused.

“Dammit!” Lina cried as she turned and started running up the stairs, only to fall back against Gourry, knocking both of them over, as a gust of wind sent her flying back down.

“Are you alright?” Amelia asked as she moved towards them, and then she cried out as some unseen force started dragging her away from the group.

“Amelia!” Zelgadis cried out as he dove and grabbed her other hand and attempted to pull her back. 

Gourry drew his sword and brought it down in the direction where Amelia was being pulled to, and she cried out in relief as the invisible thing let go of her arm and she got back to her feet and put her arms around Zelgadis.

“Okay, I’ve had enough.” Lina said as she set her eyes back on the stairs, “And if this Sad Lady thinks that’s going to stop me she has another thing coming! RAY WING!”

“I’m confused.” Gourry said as he sat next to her in the bubble of the Ray Wing while Amelia and Zel sped behind them.

“The ghosts decided to trap us in the basement so we can’t trap them in a small room!” Lina explained.

“Wow, these are some smart ghosts.”

“I’ll say.” Lina replied as she stopped in front of the door, canceled her spell, and pushed it. Only it did not budge. “Oh, we’re locked in!”

“Here.” Gourry said as Amelia and Zel came up behind him and he threw his shoulder against the door with all his strength, and once again it did not budge.

Lina moaned as Gourry rubbed his shoulder, “If I didn’t want to get out of here so badly I would laugh.”

“I guess we’ll find out now if Lina would break down her own door or wait here all night until the help arrives.” Zelgadis commented wryly.

“Oh, I can afford a new one!” Lina said. “Gourry!”

“Right,” Gourry said as he drew the Blast Sword.

“I meant to ask earlier, what’s that?” Zelgadis asked.

“A new magical sword we picked up on our travels.” Lina explained as Gourry cut a large square into the door, large enough for even him to get through.

Lina wasted no time in stepping into the foyer, followed by the others. “Any clue as to where they are?” Lina asked.

“Give me a minute.” Amelia said as she closed her eyes and concentrated. Then she looked towards a hallway that Lina had not had time to explore yet. “This way.”

The group started to follow Amelia as they went down the hallway, and Lina noted that they were entering a part of the manor that was not as nice. Was this the servant’s quarters? Or perhaps this was where they would send their students? Or perhaps this was a forgotten wing because the ghost activity was just too much.

As soon as the thought hit Lina a gust of wind blew through the hallway, knocking the portraits from the walls and throwing cobwebs on their face. “Damn spiders!” Zelgadis spat as he brushed them from his clothing, and then all of them yelped as the carpet was pulled from underneath them, sending them flat on their backs.

“Only my rear is bruised.” Gourry said as he stood up.

“And my pride.” Lina added as she rubbed her butt, “I think this means we’re getting warmer.”

The sounds of moans started to emanate from the rooms, and Lina yelled, “Do you expect this to scare us away!?”

“This way!” Amelia said as she pointed at a door to the right.

The group started to run towards it, but it was locked. “Gourry.” Lina said.

Gourry was about to bring his sword down when Amelia said, “Stop!”

“Why?”

“We don’t want to damage the door we will use to contain them in!” She explained, “The portal is in here!”

A bloodcurdling wailing sound rang through the hallways as the Sad Lady, glowing green and her face contorted in rage, pushed herself through the door. Gourry tried to slice at her with the sword, but she vanished. Meanwhile, Amelia started chanting.

Zelgadis pulled Amelia back just as a painting flew off the wall and towards her and shattered against the opposite wall instead. Gourry and Zel were soon busy slicing flying objects with their swords as Amelia continued chanting what turned out to be a very long spell. Lina readied her arms for spell casting, but was stopped as a different scene filled her vision, one of a quaint old town with small, round houses built of sticks. The Sad Lady, wearing an undyed woolen dressed, stared out into the horizon, her arms protectively around two muddy children as she saw a procession of soldiers riding horses approaching them bearing the flag of Zeferia. Lina squinted as she looked at the royal crest. It had been a long time since she’d studied Zeferian history, but she was fairly sure it was the crest of Queen Carliena, the woman who had consolidated the warring tribes into the country that Zeferia now was.

As abruptly as it started, the vision ended. Lina blinked as she saw a field of debris headed her way, but Gourry jumped in front of her and sliced it to bits. “Get out!” The Sad Lady screamed, the sound reverberating through the house menacingly as it shook as though caught in an earthquake.

Amelia reached into her robe and grabbed a fistful of something that looked like dirt and threw it into the room, “Contain!”

Everyone stood frozen to the spot as the shaking and the wind ceased, and gradually the temperature rose to a more comfortable level. Amelia smiled. “Done.”

Lina surveyed the hallway, which looked decimated, and observed, “Oh, I am so glad I have a maid to clean this up! Anyway, anyone hungry?” 

“Yeah.” They said as they started walking to the kitchen.

“Hey Lina, any idea what that room was used for?” Gourry asked.

“No. I’ll check it out at daybreak. If I had to guess, given the condition of the rest of that wing, nothing much. Too many strange occurrences likely scared people away from it.” Lina replied.

“So I guess you just won’t be using that room.” Zelgadis commented, and Lina laughed maliciously. “What’s so funny?”

“Are you crazy?” Lina replied, “I have big plans for that room!”

“Huh?” Amelia said.

“Well this is supposed to be a school to teach people to slay mazoku, right.” Lina said as she walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboard where the cook said she had left some sandwiches for them.

“Yeah.” Amelia replied as Lina set them on a counter and grabbed one.

“Well, what better way to see if someone is brave enough to hold it together against Shabranigdu than by locking them in that room with the Sad Lady for a night?” Lina explained as she took a bite out of her sandwich.

“What!?” the others said.

“That’s cruel!” Gourry observed as he shook his head.

Lina cackled ominously as she said as she took a drink of milk, “Oh, but I have big plans for that room! This will be wonderful!”

“So I guess you’re not going to want me to close that portal.” Amelia said as she grabbed her own sandwich.

“There’s no rush.” Lina said, “I’m going to have to sort out the brave from the weak somehow. And better here than on the battlefield.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not plan for this to happen, but it worked out well, as I managed to finish this chapter during the Halloween season! Once again, that was not planned. I just desperately wanted to finish another fic I was writing, and then for the first time since having kids I've reconnected with my social group, so I’ve been unusually busy. Hope you enjoyed, or at least indulged in my love of ghost stories, and I’ve got a good start on how Lina and Gourry’s wedding plans hit a kink in the next chapter when they meet a much scarier foe than the Sad Lady and Luna combined! Happy Halloween!


	7. Chapter 7

It had taken a lot of coaxing to get Alona into the wing where the portal was, but after being assured that Lina and Amelia would be nearby, she finally went in to clean the hallway, chattering nervously as she did, “This is part of the original manor. They say so many eerie things happened here that the owners built the rest of the house to move into and leave this part alone!”

“Hm,” Lina said as she filed the information away while she stared at the door where they had contained the Sad Lady and the portal. The men had left to get wood to build a new door for the basement, so it was just Lina and Amelia with the servants.

“Ready to open it?” Amelia asked.

“Yes, let’s do this.” Lina said, and Amelia opened the door as Alona looked at them, obviously a bit panicked.

When the door opened, Lina’s eyes first fell on the view from the window of the nearby pond. “Wow.”

“Oh, it’s so lovely!” Amelia crooned before she glanced at the rest of the dusty room, “They must really be scared of this place to let it go to waste. Do you think the Sad Lady lived here?”

“No,” Lina said as she started to examine some of the paintings on the wall of what looked to have been the original parlor room. “I think she died here before this place was built. I’m going to have to go through some records before I know for sure. Nothing like a three hundred year old murder mystery to crack!”

“How do you know it was three hundred years ago?” Amelia asked as she brushed the dust off some knickknacks.

“It was back when the Kingdom of Zeferia formed.” Lina explained as she started searching the room for hidden nooks and crannies, as well as anything of value, all while ignoring the disquieting feeling of being watched. To distract herself, she started to relate her vision to Amelia.

After searching and then cataloguing everything in the room, they left and closed the door behind them, and Lina relaxed a little as the feeling of being watched abated. “It looks like Alona did a good job clearing the hallway.” Lina observed.

“So what now?” Amelia asked.

“I guess we get a basic bed ordered for that room, for when the time comes. We can easily convert the old furnishings to be fit for a room people will seldom sleep in.”

“You’re not going to order new things?” Amelia asked incredulously. “Honestly, with a few upgrades that room would be stunning!”

Lina shrugged, “It seems like a waste, especially if the Sad Lady just starts breaking things. Shame about the view, though, perhaps one of the other rooms in this wing will have a better one. Anyway, I’m ready for lunch!”

* * *

The rest of the day was spent exploring the house, blissfully free of the feeling of being watched or any sudden bursts of sadness. And while several rooms in the old wing did have views of the pond, none were as stunning as the one occupied by the Sad Lady. Still, there were bedrooms, rooms for entertaining, and a library, making Lina the proud owner of a home with two libraries. Gourry and Zelgadis had fixed the door to the basement, and Lina hoped that with the Sad Lady contained she could get the servants to stay overnight. But so far, she was not having a lot of luck there.

She canceled her levitation spell as she came down from getting a heavy tomb from the top of a shelf at the old library. She reflected happily on how cataloguing everything in her libraries would take years, and that she was sure there would be many intriguing discoveries in the years to come, and how she hoped that at some point a sorcerer had occupied the house. In the meantime, she was on a hunt for information about the building of Maninstit, and she figured that the older library was the best place to find information on that, as well as a primary illustration of what Queen Carliena’s crest looked lie.

The servants had left for the night, and the rest of the sunlight was gone, but if the Sad Lady was still haunting the rest of the house, she left Lina alone. Still, Lina about jumped out of her skin when she heard Gourry ask, “You coming to bed tonight?”

“When did you come in?” she asked.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” He said, “But it’s getting late. Besides, I know if left to your own devices we’d probably find you here tomorrow morning covered in dust and old ink and using a book as a pillow.”

“You got me.” She said as she closed the volume while he glanced out the window.

“Wow!” he exclaimed.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” she asked as she walked up beside him and wrapped an arm around him as he looked at the pond. “Most of the rooms in this wing have a good view of it. And,” she said as she leaned up to whisper in his ear, “I think this room needs to be warmed by some love.”

“The Sad Lady isn’t going to interrupt us?” he asked as she kissed his cheek while he brought his arms around her.

“I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her for a long while.”

* * *

“What’s in this room?” Amelia asked as she walked with Lina down the hallway. After Lina and Gourry had spent a day exploring every square inch of their new home, Lina had to throw her arms up and admit that she did not have a clue as to how to organize such a large household, and asked Amelia for help. After spending another day exploring the downstairs and getting a plan in place for how to organize the class and student rooms, they were now tackling the upstairs, which they agreed would be best left for family and guests.

Lina furrowed her brow as she tried to remember, and wound up opening it, and then she rolled her eyes. “Nursey.”

“How cute!” Amelia exclaimed as her eyes set upon a little rocking horse.

“I guess you and Zel are already working on an heir and a spare, then?” Lina said as Amelia knelt down by the rocking horse, obviously charmed.

Amelia shook her head, “No. Since we eloped we’re giving it some time to squelch any rumors that I was pregnant when we knelt before the altar.”

“Oh.” Lina said. “Makes sense.”

“So, should we have Alona dust this off, or order brand new stuff?”

Lina groaned. Amelia looked at her, puzzled. “Sorry,” Lina said, “Everyone keeps making hints about this. Even Gourry. And it just seems like a lot of changes at once, you know?”

“But these are good changes, Miss Lina!”

“Even good changes take some getting used to.” Lina replied. “I don’t exactly want to be figuring out parenthood as I’m figuring out teaching or being a public role model, as well as how to be a wife.”

“But it takes nine months for a baby to arrive. You’ll have it all under control by then, I’m sure of it!” Amelia said.

Lina shook her head, and wondered what all of the rush truly was about when the butler came in, “Lady Inverse, Princess,” Jeeves said, “A woman who says her name is Baroness Guloisa Gabriev is here and wishes to speak with you.”

“Gabriev?” Lina repeated.

“She does bear a resembled to Sir Gourry.” He added.

Amelia looked at her curiously as Lina asked, “Where is Gourry?”

“He went to the baths ten minutes before she arrived and asked not to be interrupted. She is currently in the main parlor.”

“See that she’s comfortable.” Lina said, “And tell her we’ll be with her momentarily.”

“Yes, my lady.” He said as Lina looked pensive.

“Jitters about meeting the future in-laws?” Amelia asked.

“Hm.” Lina said, “Actually, I’m wondering if this is some kind of scam.”

“Why would you think that?”

Lina shrugged, and started to walk over to Gourry’s chambers, “Gourry doesn’t talk about it, so I don’t know much. But from what I gather most of his family is dead, and he deliberately cut himself off from the ones who survived. A family feud gone out of control type thing.”

“What?” Amelia exclaimed.

“He doesn’t like to talk about it.” Lina repeated, feeling a little sheepish over just how little she did know.

“That’s understandable.” Amelia said after a moment’s reflection. “After all this time it’s still hard to talk about Alfred and Uncle Randy. I guess I’ll find something to do while you and Mr. Gourry handle this.”

“Thanks,” Lina said as she walked into Gourry’s chambers, and reflected that it was the first time she had actually been in them. Since they’d moved in he’d slept in her room, and she’d never had an occasion to visit his. After a quick glance she determined that his chambers smaller and less decorated, which meant that she still had the nicest room in the house, and thus assured, she sat down and waited for him to emerge from the baths.

He smiled invitingly when his eyes fell on her as he walked in, “Couldn’t wait to track me down, my treasure?” he asked as he sat beside her and wasted no time in starting to nuzzle at her neck.

“Regretfully,” she said as she closed her eyes and put her hands on his shoulders, “We have a visitor.”

“Mmm,” he said as he continued to move his kisses along her neck, “Can he wait?”

“She,” Lina corrected with a gasp, “A Baroness.”

Gourry stopped and looked at her as she continued, “Baroness Guloisa Gabriev.”

“Shit,” Gourry whispered as the desire vanished from his eyes.

“Who is she?” Lina asked.

He grabbed her hand, his expression hard to decipher. “She’s my mother.”

“Your mother is a baroness!?” Lina asked.

“Yes.”

“But you made it sound like you grew up in a mud hut.”

“I came from Elmekia. Even the Emperor grew up in a mud hut. Our hut was just bigger and held more stuff than the others.” He explained.

Lina said. “So you don’t think she’s an imposter?”

“I wish.” He said with a mirthless laugh, “I don’t know what she’s doing outside of the Elmekian Empire, but I have a bad idea of why she’s here.”

“The Sword of Light?” Lina asked.

“Whatever you do, don’t tell her about the Blast Sword.” Gourry instructed.

Lina bit her lip, “It must be bad if you of all people are asking me to lie.”

“I’m not asking you to lie,” Gourry said uncomfortably, “I’m just asking you to leave out one little detail.”

Lina bit her lip uneasily. “Is she really that bad? I mean, perhaps she changed?”

Gourry smiled, and for a moment she caught a glimpse of a great sadness within his eyes, “I’ve just been let down by her too much.”

Lina felt her stomach flip a bit. Just how bad was his mother going to be? “Let’s get this over with then.”

“Lina,” he said quietly, “Be careful. Don’t tell her anything you wouldn’t want seen in the newspaper.”

“Huh?” she asked.

“Trust me.” He said as he stood up morosely while he held out his hand.

“Okay.” She said uncertainly.

* * *

Lina decided that Jeeves was understating things a little bit when he mentioned the resemblance. Guloisa Gabriev looked like an older, stouter, female version of her son. Her blue taffeta dress was well made, though, several steps below the clothes that Amelia wore, and she kept her long hair neatly pinned. Guloisa stood up, and Lina’s stomach flopped and she did her best to hide just how nervous she was as the older woman smiled warmly. “Gourry!” she said as she held her arms open.

Gourry stood in the doorway, surprising Lina with his aloofness. Sure, she knew that things were bad, but that he wouldn’t even hug his mother was shocking. “Hi, um, what are you doing out of the Elmekian Empire?” he asked.

To Lina’s horror, this was looking worse and worse on Gourry than on Guloisa. While she had only the faintest idea of what had happened between Gourry and his family, Guloisa seemed friendly enough. She suddenly wished she had read what her sister had offered, especially as growing up her mother had always cautioned her that you can learn a lot about how a man will treat his wife by how he treats his mother.

“Well,” Guloisa said as she put her arms down with aplomb and sat back down, “I was in exile just over the border of Saillune when I heard you would be so honored. And of course I wanted to catch up with my dear son.”

“Exile?” Gourry asked.

“Well,” she said breathlessly, “After you pulled that stunt with the Sword of Light, all sorts of fighting broke out. In the end your aunt got control and set me packing.”

Gourry scratched his face as he looked at the ground, “I was hoping that if I took it, it would stop the fighting.”

“Oh, it’s well enough that you did. I never knew how much I would enjoy peace, quiet, and brick walls until I found myself in Saillune.” Guloisa said, “I trust that you still have the sword with you?”

“The Sword of Light is at it’s home.” Gourry said, and Lina had to admire how he split hairs with that truth, and then by how deftly he changed the subject, “This is my fiancée, Lina Inverse. Lina, this is my mother, Baroness Guloisa.”

“Hey,” Lina said, feeling unusually nervous under Guloisa’s stare.

“She is lovely.” Guloisa stated.

“Now that’s you’ve met her, I’m sure you’re ready to be on your way into town.” Gourry said with a strange smile on his face.

“Oh, I’m afraid I spent all of my money on a carriage just to get here! I’m quite broke, not that I expect you to give me any. And I’m at the age where a walk into the next town is a bit more than I can handle right now. But I’m sure there’s plenty of room here. Why don’t we sit and chat and get reacquainted?”

Lina when and sat on the couch opposite her and noticed that Gourry was not following her. Lina sent him a look and he reluctantly joined her. “Now, tell me how you met.” Guloisa prompted, and Lina spent the next hour relating her adventures with Gourry as Guloisa listened attentively and asked some good questions, making Lina decide that Gourry’s denseness came from his father’s side of the family. To her chagrin, Lina found herself charmed by Guloisa, and worried about Gourry, who made no move on softening towards his mother as he glowered at the window. And while Lina had questions, it didn’t seem right to interrogate her future mother-in-law on her first meeting with her.

Eventually Jeeves found them and stated, “Dinner is prepared.”

“Goodness, is it that late?” Guloisa asked.

“Go ahead and have a room prepared for Baroness Gabriev.” Lina instructed, and Gourry gave her a look.

“And then in the morning I expect you’ll be ready to be on your way.” He added

It was Lina’s turn to favor him with a look. “Oh, we’ll get it all worked out I’m sure. I know you will want to see I am well cared for,” Guloisa said pleasantly. “Only I am wondering, why are you playing house before you walk down the aisle?”

Lina blushed and stuttered, and Gourry spoke. “Lina and I have been traveling and working together for years, and our lives are dangerous. We’ve often woken up when thieves or mazoku sneak into our rooms. We protect each other, and we can’t do that if we’re staying in different places for propriety.”

“Where did you learn that word?” Lina asked.

“My son is very well read.” Guloisa said, “Of course he knows big words.”

Lina bit back a retort, but only because she did not want to get things off on the complete wrong foot with her future mother-in-law. Guloisa stared at Lina for a minute, “She’s not pregnant, is she?”

“Now look!” Lina yelled.

“No, she’s not pregnant. And let’s take a step back for a moment,” Gourry said as he put a hand on Lina’s arm, “I mean, dinner’s getting cold, isn’t it?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I can see the genuine connection and love between you, and of course you wouldn’t sully your reputations so.” Guloisa said, “Now, where are my manners? Dinner sounds lovely.”

As Gourry started to walk, he took a moment to lean down and whisper to Lina, “She hasn’t changed a bit.” 

Lina stared at them as they moved to the hallway and wondered what had just happened and just what she was marrying into.

* * *

Guloisa continued to charm everyone but Gourry at dinner, who continued to be aloof and distant despite Guloisa’s attempts to make a connection, and Lina found herself growing more and more frustrated with him so that, by the time he entered her room after she was in bed, she turned away from him as he tried to kiss her. He sighed as he sat down on the bed, “Should I go back to my room tonight?”

“What are you finding so hard to forgive anyway?” Lina snapped, “All evening you’ve been so rude to her!”

Gourry scratched his cheek, “It’s not a matter of forgiveness so much. It’s strategy. If you let her close to you she will strike, so I have to keep my guard up and wait for her to reveal her true colors because she can only keep the act up for so long. You saw it tonight when she asked if you were pregnant.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“The nobles in the Elmekian Empire are land rich and cash poor.” He explained, “They spend too much time drinking and gambling to do anything productive. So they’re always looking for new sources of money and resources. It’s why she married my dad. He didn’t have a title but he had the Sword of Light and he had money. And it’s why she’s here now, because she heard about what you had been bestowed with and that I was with you.”

“But she’s not asked for money!” Lina protested.

“That’s not how she works.” Gourry continued, “She finds things to use against you, such as an out of wedlock pregnancy, and then she’ll hold you over the barrel for cash, lodgings, or whatever it is she wants. And the longer she stays here, the more ammunition she collects. So the quicker she leaves, the better.”

Lina stared at him incredulously, “But she’s so charming. I mean, I can tell when I’m being conned!”

Gourry shrugged, “My mother was doing this since she was in diapers. She’s very good at what she does.”

“Look, I know there’s been bad blood, but what I see is an old lady reaching out and you turning her away! You’ve barely told me what happened in the first place, and now you’re acting strange and being ruder than I’ve ever seen you, Mr. Nobility and Chivalry, act and to your own mother! So if my ability to read people is way off, and if it’s way off about your mother, then what’s to say it’s not way off about you?”

He looked a little hurt as he said, “Well, I guess you’re going to have to decide if someone can really pull off an act for two years.”

Lina sighed, “After everything we’ve been through, I feel like I know you well and that you are one of the most genuinely good people I know. Still, this is an aspect of you I’ve never seen and I don’t like it! So forgive me if this takes some time to get used to! Especially with all of the other changes going on in our lives!”

“Oh, trust me, she’s leaving as soon as possible so you won’t see this part of me often.” Gourry said, “I want to focus on our future, together, not putting skeletons back in the closet. And if after all we’ve been through together you can’t trust that I have good reasons for being this way...”

He stopped for a moment as he brought his hand to his head, “Look, I just need your support right now. Turning my back on my family and giving up on them left me broken for a long time. Years. Meeting you was what healed me. And having to turn my back again on them again is still not easy and was something I hoped would never happen, and now it is. I mean, I wish it would work out, that things really have changed, but I can tell they haven’t. You’ve known my mom for a few hours. I grew up with her! And I don’t know what to tell you than to trust me.”

Something about his demeanor caused her to soften a little as she reached for him, “You’ve been wonderful to me since I met you. I guess it just sometimes seems too good to be true. Dream house, dream job, servants, plenty of cash, and a perfect husband. I guess I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

He leaned forward and gently kissed her on the lips. “Just trust me, okay? Mother can’t keep the act up long. By tomorrow night you will be thanking me for showing her the door.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the novels, Hellmaster returned the Sword of Light to Dark Star when he held Gourry captive. And that’s all the background for this chapter.

Lina was woken from a dead sleep when Gourry rolled off the bed. “What are you doing here?” he asked as she sensed a third presence in the room as she chanted a light spell.

“That’s not the Sword of Light!” Guloisa said accusingly as the room glowed under Lina’s spell as it took Lina’s sleep riddled brain a few minutes to process what was happening. 

Gourry lowered his sword, “What are you doing in our room?” he asked as Lina walked around the bed to stand beside him, stunned at Guloisa’s brazenness.

“Checking on your father’s prized possession! Where is it?” she asked.

“I told you. It’s at its home.”

“Then why isn’t it here?” she persisted.

“Because its home is in the universe it originated with, with Dark Star.” Lina snapped, “The Sword of Light was not of this universe. Now leave.”

Guloisa looked at her as though she had started speaking in tongues. Then she finally stated, “You mean you let it go!”

“Gourry had been held captive by Hellmaster Phibrizzo. He didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.” Lina stated.

“It’s better this way anyway.” Gourry added.

“You let someone overpower you and take the sword from you!” Guloisa accused, her voice increasing in volume.

“It was Hellmaster Phibrizzo!” Lina said.

Guloisa turned flaming red as she started swinging her fists at Gourry, landing punches on his stomach, chest, face, wherever she could reach as she started screaming, “You idiot! Do you know how hard your father fought for that sword!? You know nothing could be more important than seeing that it stayed in the family…”

Gourry took it stoically as though he was used to this as Lina got between them, “I’m the only one who’s allowed to beat him up, so back off!” Lina yelled.

“Get out of my way!” Guloisa yelled as she lurched towards them again while Zel and Amelia appeared at the door, obviously curious as to what was going on.

“Burst Rondo!” Lina growled as she released the spell just beside Guloisa, who jumped at the many mini explosions as her eyes widened as she remembered who she was dealing with. “Now, if you don’t calm down now and go back to your room till morning I will have no qualms about letting you walk to the next town in the dark!”

“You wouldn’t!” Guloisa stuttered, “I’m an old woman!”

“She would.” Gourry, Zel and Amelia said in unison.

Guloisa glared at Lina banefully and then, with as much dignity as she could muster, she walked out of the room, saying as she left, “This isn’t over.”

“Are you okay?” Amelia asked as she tentatively walked in with Zelgadis. “We didn’t mean to intrude, we just heard shouting.”

“It’s fine.” Gourry said, “You just saw the real Guloisa Gabriev. Well, I guess she was going to find out sooner or later. So long as she doesn’t find what this is.” He said as he grabbed the Blast Sword, “It will be fine.”

“But how many people know about the Blast Sword?” Zelgadis asked, “I mean, have you been keeping the knowledge of its discovery a secret?”  
Gourry got quiet as his eyes narrowed while Lina thought of the people who knew who very well could have spread the word about the Blast Sword. Milgasea and Memphis. Lina’s family and the Eternal Queen, and quite a few people in Zefiel City. What if Guloisa stopped by there after she left Maninstit and found out about the Blast Sword from them? 

“Well, I guess we’ll cross that bridge when it happens.” Lina said as she put a hand on Gourry’s arm and was surprised to find he was shaking.

Amelia looked at them for a moment as an awkward silence descended, and then looked at Zelgadis as she said, “We’ll just go back to bed then.” 

“Lock your doors.” Gourry said.

“Right.” Zel said.

Gourry locked the door after Zel and Amelia left as Lina shook her head, “I guess I just got complacent. I figured I wouldn’t need to lock my room in my own home.”

“She would have found a way in.” He said as he sat back on the bed, looking unusually drained.

“Hey,” she said as she got into bed with him and wrapped an arm around him, “I’ve been thinking. After careful consideration I have decided that, first thing after breakfast, we will ask Jeeves to find someone with a wagon to take her into town and make it clear that she is not to ever come back. How does that sound?”

“That’s for the best.” He said as he continued to stare at the tapestry opposite their bed.

Lina floundered for a moment, especially as being the shoulder to cry on was not her specialty. Even as she asked her next question, she cringed, “So, I guess you take after your dad?”

Gourry laughed a little, “Well, he was a good father, but he was rather ruthless to people who weren’t his children, especially if they challenged his claim to the Sword of Light. It took me a long time and all of my training with the Gunginiel Knights to accept that.”

He stopped for a moment and scratched his face, and then with an abruptness that surprise her he turned towards her and kissed her. “Gourry?” she asked as she pulled away.

“Hey, you lobbing that Burst Rondo at Mother was hot!” he said.

She chuckled a little, “I thought you wouldn’t approve.”

They kissed again, but gently she put her arms between them, “What is it?” he asked.

“Just, I mean, after that, you don’t want to talk some more?”

“No,” he said. “I just don’t like thinking about the past. It puts me in a bad place I don’t want to be. I’d much rather think of you and all we’re going to do together. Getting this house ready for our students, the wedding.” He smiled a little, “Building a happier family together.”

She reached forward and stroked his hair, “That’s important to you, isn’t it? Having a happy family?”

“It’s large part of what I want.” He smiled a little as he stroked her cheek, “I know you’re still young and unsure. It’s okay if it’s just you and me for a while. A husband and wife can still be a happy family. So I’m not wanting to rush you. I just get excited thinking about it. Especially after a visit from Mother.”

He leaned forward to kiss her again and stopped as his eyes widened. “What?” she asked.

“Your sister isn’t going to rip us apart for being found in bed together before we get married, is she?”

Lina laughed a little and kissed him, “We peasants are held to looser standards than nobility where bloodlines matter. No, Sis and, really, everyone would be more upset if we eloped. So long as we go through with whatever ceremony they have in mind, we’re free to lust over each other at our leisure.”

“Good.” He said as he grinned.

* * *

Guloisa was eating a hearty breakfast when Lina and Gourry came down into the dining room the next morning. Lina felt he ire rise a bit at her presumption, and then she noticed Gourry staring at her. She recognized that look. It basically meant it was on her to be the bad guy, but right now, Lina had very little qualms about that.

“Hey, we’ve got to talk.” Lina said.

“Oh?” Guloisa said as scooped some eggs onto her fork and brought them into her mouth. “Well, I agree about that. These eggs are overcooked, you may have to do something about that cook.”

“Take it up with people who give you your next meal. We’ve made arrangements to have you taken into the nearest city.” Lina stated.

Guloisa smiled, “I’m afraid you can’t do that.”

“I can, and will!” Lina shot back.

“I’m afraid that’s quite impossible.” Guloisa said. “I just cast bind.”

Lina looked at her in shock. “Bind?” Gourry said as Zel and Amelia entered the dining hall.

“It’s a spell, a curse, to keep people under house arrest.” Amelia explained. “When cast a person can’t leave the location they are at unless the person who casts the spell lifts it. But I’ve never heard of someone casting it on themselves!”

“Oh, it works rather well in that regards.” Guloisa said as she ate her eggs smugly, “How else do you think I forced myself on my cousins for so long? So you see, unless I decide to remove the spell, you can’t force me out no matter what you’d try.”

“But when did you learn sorcery?” Gourry asked, incredulously.

“Oh, I just learned the bind spell.” Guloisa said. “It struck me as something that would come in handy. And the only way I’m leaving is when I hear about a place I like better.”

“But you have no right…” Lina said.

“In the Elmekian Empire men provide for their mothers after they are widowed! I have every right!” Guloisa said.

“We’re not in the Elmekian Empire!” Lina shrieked.

“And you are being a disrespectful little brat!” Guloisa shot back.

“Oh, you are asking for it!” Lina said as she started muttering under her breath and felt a twinge of satisfaction as Guloisa went pale.

“Do you really want slaying old ladies added to your reputation?” she asked.

“What makes you think it’s not already there?” Lina said in a low voice.

Guloisa stared her in the eye, “You’re bluffing.”

Lina cackled, “Do you really want to bet?”

“Why don’t we all take a step back and take a break?” Amelia suggested. “Talk about this when cooler heads prevail?”

“That’s a splendid idea.” Guloisa said as she stood up and walked towards the staircase. She put her foot on the first step but then stopped suddenly, as though she had hit an invisible wall. “Forgot, I can’t go on the second floor with this spell. You’re just going to have to prepare a room for me on the ground floor.”

Lina opened her mouth to protest, but then stopped as a gleam formed in her eye, “Oh, I have just the room in mind!”

* * *

“She’s just so old.” Amelia said as she watched as Gourry and Zelgadis brought down a bed from one of the guest rooms upstairs into the Sad Lady’s room. “You don’t think she’ll have a stroke or a heart attack, do you?”

“She has a heart of ice.” Gourry said as he set the mattress down. “This won’t kill her.”

Lina started to put the bedclothes on (Alona still refused to enter the Sad Lady’s room). “To be honest, that Gourry is acting so cold towards her makes me think we haven’t even seen the worse yet.”

“Well, after tonight you never will.” Gourry said. “I do wonder how long she will last until she cancels the spell and runs out in terror!”

Lina laughed, “I’ll tell Jeeves to have a wagon ready for her when she does decide to flee. Oh, this will be so much fun to watch!”

“We should make popcorn.” Gourry said.

They laughed and started to make plans until Gourry told everyone to hush momentarily before Guloisa strolled on. Her face lit as she saw the room, “My, this is nicer than that room you had me in last night! This will be quite wonderful! I’m prepared to forgive you for your earlier impertinence.”

“My what?” Lina said as her hand bunched into a fist.

“We’ll leave you to get settled in.” Gourry said as he grabbed Lina’s hand and lead her from the room.

* * *

“Unwelcome visitors aside, this is a nice house.” Amelia said as she and Lina put some popcorn in the kettle.

Lina sighed, “I do wish everyone would leave us alone. It’s like Gourry and I finally get some down time and people still keep bothering us. And since this villain is Gourry’s mother, I can’t exactly lob a Dragon Slave at her and move on.”

Amelia smiled, “I’m so glad I don’t have to deal with in-laws.”

“I didn’t think I’d have to!” Lina exclaimed. “At first I thought maybe Gourry would open up a bit about what happened, but he’s still tight lipped. Usually it doesn’t bother me, I mean I get having things I don’t want to talk about.” She sighed, “It makes sense. Even if it was like looking at a mirror.”

“Huh?” 

“Last night, when Guloisa started beating him up.” Lina explained, “I guess that’s why he puts up with me, he’s used to being treated like crap.”

“Doesn’t seeing that just make you want to show him more love?” Amelia asked.

“Well, I guess.” Lina said as the corn started popping, “In some ways it’s easy now, I mean you must be there, new romantic relationship high. But what about when the newness of being like this wears off?”

Amelia grabbed a mitt and poured the popcorn from the kennel and into a large bowl, “Stuff to think about when you’re planning your vows.”

“Wow.” Lina said as she grabbed the drinks and they proceeded to walk to the staircase. “Am I expected to write my own vows?”

Amelia shrugged as they walked up the stairs. They had found a good place to watch from the upstairs landing where they would have a perfect view of Guloisa when she would run into the foyer, hopefully in terror.

“Hey!” Gourry said as he saw them.

“Smells good,” Zelgadis added.

Lina and Amelia sat down with them and they ate and talked amicably and waited. And waited. And waited. “What time did the Sad Lady wake us up the other night?” Lina asked as she looked at the grandfather clock with a yawn as she leaned back against Gourry. It was 3:30.

“Didn’t check.” Amelia said sleepily, her head nestled in Zel’s lap.

“It was around 2.” Zel said.

“She’s late.” Lina said irritably.

“Give it a bit more time.” Gourry said.

“But her room really should be a beacon of activity, considering that we narrowed the area that the ghosts traveling to the beacon traverse through.” Zelgadis pointed out.

“Is your mom a heavy sleeper?” Lina asked.

“Don’t remember.” Gourry said.

“Hm.” Amelia said as her eyes closed and everyone else stared off into the foyer drowsily.

Lina jumped awake several hours later as the door opened. At first she’d thought she’d missed Guloisa’s panic stricken flight, but it turned out to be Alona and Nelly coming in for work. The others had also woken, looking confused. Lina moaned as she stood up, “I’m going to sleep in bed for an hour until breakfast.”

* * *

Lina was very disgruntled when she entered the dining hall a few hours later to see Guloisa sitting there, finishing her breakfast. “You two look wrecked.” Guloisa said as she glared at Lina and Gourry distastefully. 

“Morning.” Lina said caustically. “Sleep well?”

“Aside from that mopey ghost kicking up a racket, I slept rather well.” Guloisa said.

“Mopey ghost?” Lina repeated.

“Yes, I hate to tell you that your home is haunted. I told that ghost to shut it and she got even more distraught, something I didn’t think possible.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t flee in terror.” Lina replied.

Guloisa laughed dismissively, “Oh Lina, it’s going to take a lot more than a ghost to send me packing! Gabriev women are fearless!”


	9. Chapter 9

“What are we going to do?” Lina groused as she sat with Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia in the upstairs parlor. “I mean, at least we have so much space we can get away from her easily. But once our students arrive…”

“She can’t stay here.” Gourry said, “Unless we want to start watching our backs in shifts. I can see her canceling that spell to come up here while we sleep and recasting it when she goes back down.”

“Well if we catch her when she does that then we can throw her out the window…” Lina mused.

“What are things she really dislikes?” Amelia asked Gourry.

“Well, she’s allergic to cats,” Gourry said as he scratched his cheek.

“We could get a cat!” Lina said excitedly, “We can get ten cats even! We can fill this manor with cats!”

“I wouldn’t do that.” Gourry cautioned.

“Why not?” Lina asked.

“She’d drown them.” He said.

“Don’t tell me…” Zel said.

“Then don’t ask.” Gourry replied.

“Wow.” Lina said. 

“Lady Inverse,” Jeeves said as he walked in, “Your family has come to visit you. They are in the front parlor.”

“Thanks.” Lina said as a new sort of anxiety settled in her stomach. On the one hand, Luna might have an idea for how to get rid of Guloisa, but then Lina would have to have her nose rubbed into the fact that she hadn’t thought of it first. Besides, Luna was more likely to rip her apart for painting herself into this corner in the first place. “Well, why don’t you two come down and meet my folks?” 

“We’d love to!” Amelia said, and the four of them stood up and walked down the stairs and to the parlor.

“Mom, Dad!” Lina said as she walked in and hugged her parents. “What do you think of the place?”

“It’s huge!” her mother said as she patted her on the back, “How do you not get lost in here?”

Lina chuckled a little as her mother pulled away to kiss her on the cheek before she walked over to hug Gourry, and the look of relief on his face at her mother’s gesture of acceptance did not go unnoticed. “You two taking care of each other?” 

“Of course.” Gourry said, “It is good to see you again.”

“I see you have guests.” Her father said.

“Yes, these are some friends who helped us, Amelia and Zelgadis.” Lina said.

“Princess Amelia of Saillune?” Luna asked.

“Yes.” Amelia said, “It is good to meet you.”

The Inverses bowed, and it was a surreal moment for Lina. She could never recall showing obeisance towards Amelia. “Let’s keep it casual. We’re not in Saillune right now.” Amelia said.

“These are my folks,” Lina said, “My parents, Han and Leia, and my sister, Luna.”

“Congrats on your marriage.” Luna said.

“Thank you.”

“Let’s take a seat everyone.” Lina said.

As soon as they sat down Leia said rapidly, “Please tell me those bracelets mean something!”

“That Gourry has good taste in jewelry?” Lina quipped.

“Lina!” her mother said.

“Relax, we’re engaged. Happy?”

Her mother sprang up to hug them again, “Welcome to the family!” she said to Gourry.

“I see you finally drummed up the courage.” Her husband added as he clasped Gourry on the arm.

“The Queen will be pleased.” Luna said as she pulled out a book from her bag, “I brought this just in case. Details for you to yay or nay.”

“But we haven’t even set a date yet.” Lina said.

Luna waved her hand dismissively, “The Queen would prefer sooner rather than later. It makes you two running a school together a bit less illicit.”

“Oh.” Lina said as she felt the control of her life slipping once again. But then, she’d been practically living with Gourry for years, so aside from making it legal it wasn’t as though much would change.

“Now that I’m here the party can start.” Guloisa said as she strode into the parlor in a grass green gown and clutching a large, matching purse. Lina groaned.

“You must be Lina’s parents.” She said as she stopped just before Han and Leia, who stood up.

“Yes,” Han said, “Han and Leia Inverse.”

“I am Baroness Guloisa Gabriev, Gourry’s mother.”

“It’s good to meet you.” Her parents said, looking a little surprised and curious.

“I’m Luna, Lina’s sister.” Luna said as she walked over to Guloisa and extended her hand, obviously sizing her up, and Lina started to wonder just what Luna had in her file on Guloisa.

“What charming names your parents bestowed upon you.” Guloisa said, “You must tell me the story behind that.”

Lina groaned as Leia explained, “I have a sister, and growing up we looked so different people didn’t think we were related. So I gave them sister names so people would know that they are related.”

“How quaint.” Guloisa said.

“Hey,” Lina said, wanting to get her folks away from Guloisa before anyone said anything about the Blast Sword, “Why don’t I give you a tour? Wait till you see my bathroom! It’s as big as your store!”

“Yes, I’m dying to see more!” Leia said as she stood up with the others.

“I’ll just stay here. My old knees can’t take those stairs. Luna, could I have that portfolio?” Guloisa asked, “I’d like to leaf through it, offer my input.”

Lina went crimson at her audacity as Luna said, “No.”

“But I’m the groom’s mother!” Guloisa protested.

“Your point?” Luna replied coolly.

Guloisa’s eyes narrowed as Gourry tried to usher the Inverses through the door, “Why don’t we head on up and work this out later?”

“My point is that I am a much better candidate to evaluate the wedding plans than you.” Guloisa stated.

“Wedding planning is in the domain of the bride’s family.” Luna said firmly.

Guloisa clucked, “Because you’re a respectable lot.”

“Meaning?” Luna asked as the air seemed to chill.

Guloisa opened her purse and, to Lina’s horror, pulled out a projector. A very familiar looking projector. Lina felt her hair stand on end as the color drained from her face as Luna went red as Guloisa said, “Well I’ve certainly never had nudes displayed in the main agora.”

“I’m sorry!” Lina screamed as she ran for the door, “Gotta go!” 

But Luna barely noticed her sister’s exit out of the room and up the stairs as she advanced on Guloisa as she whispered menacingly, “Give me that!”

* * *

“Lina!” Gourry said as he found her crouching beneath her desk in her upstairs library. 

“Gourry,” Lina said seriously, “I always wondered if you would really lay your life down for me. Now we will know that truth.”

“It can’t be that bad!” he said as he knelt beside the desk, but given his height and build there was no way he would be able to squeeze in there with her, “What was that thing anyway?”

She grabbed his hand and suppressed a shudder as sounds of the fight below wafted through the room, “Look, I was a stupid kid. Money was tight. It was always tight, but because I had so much potential my parents were doing everything they could to see I was properly educated with the Sorcerer’s Guild. I swear my mom wore the same dress for a year every day, and we were still close to starving. Sis used to joke about having to dance to bring in some cash even if it would be embarrassing, and I didn’t understand it was a joke and felt bad that she was thinking of doing that. We were learning about making projectors at the guild, devices that project an image. So I captured an image of her in the bath and sold the projector to some boys in town.”

Gourry’s jaw dropped, “You did what!?”

“Shh!” Lina said as the sound of raised voices picked up from downstairs. 

“They are tearing each other apart!” Gourry said, “We have to go down there!”

“After your mom tore this wound open!?” Lina screeched, “You have no idea what Sis did to me when she found out!”

His eyes widened, “What did she do?”

Lina shuddered, “Nevermind, I don’t like to think about it.”

“But you’ve moved past that, haven’t you? She already got her revenge.” He said.

“Yeah, but this is one of those things where every time it gets brought up she decides to punish me again!” Lina explained, “Some stupid childhood mistake that keeps coming up to bite me every few months…or years now that I’ve been away!”

“Miss Lina!” Amelia said, as she ran in red faced and breathless, “You have to get down there!”

“No I don’t!” Lina said, “Sis will kill me!”

“Right now the only one who looks like she will get killed is Guloisa! She just told your parents about how you two are sleeping together and that they’ve done a great job raising two…” Amelia blushed a little, “I don’t like using that word.”

“Well what are we supposed to do!?” Lina asked, “We can’t evict her!”

“Too bad this manor doesn’t have a dungeon.” Gourry muttered.

“That’s harsh, especially coming from you.” Lina said. And then she smacked her palm with her fist, “Can we lock her in her room? JEEVES!”

As always, he seemed to magically appear as she called, “Please tell me there’s a way we can lock these doors from the outside.”

“Yes,” Jeeves said. 

“Perfect.” Lina said, and then she looked at Gourry, “Let’s do this. Jeeves, be on hand to lock her in as soon as we get her in her room.”

“Yes, my lady.”

* * *

Zelgadis was staring at the carnage, his face as stony as it had been when he was a chimera, as the Inverses shouted at Guloisa who, even though it was three to one, stood nose to nose with them and shouted right back. At some point it looked as though Luna had gotten ahold of the projector as it was now broken and lay scattered to bits on the floor.

Lina looked at Gourry, who nodded, and together they ran, grabbed her by an arm, and then dragged her kicking and screaming to her room. Between the two of them they managed to get her in there fairly effortlessly, and Jeeves quickly locked the door behind her. Lina and Gourry sunk down against the wall as Guloisa pounded at the door and screamed from inside the room.

After a moment they got up and dusted themselves off and headed back to the front parlor, where Luna was glared at her accusingly and Lina shuddered, “Does it help if I apologize again?” she asked.

“How did she get that projector?” Luna demanded to know.

“How the hell am I supposed to know?” Lina asked. “I thought you’d gone into town and rained your wrath on the kids who bought it and destroyed that thing years ago!”

It didn’t seem possible, but Luna appeared even angrier. Lina gulped as Luna bellowed. “And why the hell haven’t you shown her the front door?” 

“Because she cast a bind spell on herself!” Lina replied, “We even put her in the haunted room. She told the ghost ‘boo!’ and went back to sleep! That woman is a nightmare!”

“You need to try harder!” Luna said, “She can’t be here when you start receiving students.”

“I know that.” Lina said, “But unless you know a spell to remove a bind, then we’re stuck!”

“Then strip her room of comforts, burn her bed, give her rags to wear and let her live off coarse bread and water and never let her change her chamber pot!” Luna said.

“She may be a nightmare but she’s still my mother!” Gourry protested, “I can’t let her live like a criminal.”

“According to the file I have on her, living like a criminal is exactly what she deserves!”

Gourry reddened a little, “I still can’t let her live like that.”

Leia rubbed her temples and took a deep breath, “Give them a bit of slack, Luna. It is a delicate situation.”

“This is a woman who if you give any slack she’ll use it to build a noose.”

Lina suddenly wondered just what was in Luna’s file on Guloisa, but decided that it was not the time to ask. 

“Well,” Amelia said, “Perhaps the solution is not to make this place inhospitable, but to make a different place appealing.”

“Meaning?” Luna asked.

“In Saillune, we provide sanctuary to nobles who are willing to give us the dirt on what is going on in other kingdoms, and gossip seems to be what Guloisa trades in. I’m sure she’d find a place in court more appealing than a home in the middle of nowhere tormenting her son and daughter-in-law a bunch of students.”

“She would.” Gourry agreed.

“But if she’s at court, I’d have to deal with her.” Luna said.

“Just put certain stipulations. She’s not allowed to gossip about the Inverse family or she’ll be sent to dungeons.” Amelia said.

“Someone that slimy will find a way out of it.” Han said.

“Do you have a better option?” Amelia asked.

“Fine.” Lina said. “Gourry, Amelia, Sis, we’re going to the lion’s den. Everyone else, stay here.”

* * *

Lina took a deep breath and opened the door. Guloisa looked at them mutinously as they filed in. Lina was so focused on Guloisa and what she was going to say that she didn’t notice the flash of silver until it was too late. Suddenly it was though a blanket of pain was surrounding and compressing her. She cried out in shock as she started to fold in on herself. It had been a long time since she had suffered through this!

“Lina!” Gourry said in surprise, and then he grabbed Luna’s arm, “Stop it!”

Luna did, and then she turned to Guloisa as Lina took a moment to compose herself, “Want a taste of it? Cancel the bind spell and leave Zeferia, otherwise you’re next.”

“But Miss Luna…” Amelia said.

Guloisa, meanwhile, smiled at Luna, “Do your worst.”

Luna smirked, and then held her knife at Guloisa and channeled her will into it, surrounding her with the same painful energy she had just given Lina. But Guloisa stood still as a statue as she continued to grin. Lina felt her jaw drop a little. Since leaving home Lina had been battered, beaten, stabbed and charred, but Luna’s punishments still ranked at the top of the most painful things she had ever endured.

“Is that the best you can do?” Guloisa asked as Luna lowered her knife, obviously stunned. “We Gabrievs are made of sterner stuff!”

“I see.” Luna said as she put her butter knife in her pocket and sat down on the couch. A tense silence filled the room until Luna finally asked, “Baroness Guloisa, how would you like a position in the Zeferian Court?”


	10. Chapter 10

Gourry watched as Luna spelled out a deal to his mother, feeling torn between hopeful that she would leave, sad that she would still be close by, and despair over the knowledge that little had changed. While he had given up on his family ever changing when he was seventeen, still in deep recesses of his mind there was this small, unrealistic hope that they would change and he could have the family he’d always dreamed of having. But they never did change. And in this case not knowing was better than knowing for sure just how little things had changed. It was the death of any fantasy he had that they could be redeemed. 

“If you give us information on the political situation in the Elmekian Empire, we will offer you lodging in the palace fit for a Baroness, as well as a stipend.” Luna explained, cutting through his thoughts as he wrapped an arm around Lina.

Gourry was not happy about Guloisa remaining in Zeferia. But it was better than remaining in the home he would be building with Lina. And hopefully she would become the problem of the nobles in Zeferia. But he wasn’t too optimistic. People tended to dump troublesome people on their families. He was going to have to adjust his vision of the future from being free of his family to having them occasionally burst in on him. And that was the best case scenario. Guloisa hadn’t even accepted the offer yet and could very well decide to torment them in their home. He honestly was not sure which way his mother was inclined, so he watched her nervously as she considered Luna carefully.

“How do I know this just isn’t a ruse to get me out of here so you can turn me on the street?” Guloisa asked.

“Do you really want to live your days in a haunted guest room?” Luna asked.

“No.” Guloisa said, “But it’s better than on the streets.”

“But if you’re on the streets, then we can’t monitor every word you say to ensure that it is flattering to my family, your son and Zeferia.” Lina replied.

“So that’s part of the deal?” Guloisa asked, and Gourry made a note to tell Luna to be very careful.

“Naturally.” Luna said as Gourry’s anxiety ratcheted up a notch. “And, if you make any move to steal Gourry’s sword or pass on information about his sword to your family still in the Elmekian Empire, you will be thrown into the deepest, darkest dungeon and left to rot. Clear?”

“Why would it matter? He already gave it away?” Guloisa asked.

“Deal?” Luna repeated.

Guloisa thought for a moment, and Gourry could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he hoped she would not become suspicious. On the one hand it would be a matter of time before she found out about the Blast Sword. On the other, he still felt like he was playing with fire. But even that worry had to be pushed to the future. What mattered now was whether or not she would agree and get out of their hair.

Finally she held a hand out to Luna, “Deal. When do we leave?”

He could feel the tension leave Lina, and he wished he felt the same sense of relief.

“Tomorrow.” Luna said.

* * *

“The Eternal Queen won’t be mad, will she?” Lina asked Luna as they walked into the upstairs parlor, thankful to be away from Guloisa.

“Guloisa will blend in with the other nobles there easily enough.” Luna said as she sat down on a chair, “Of course, keeping an eye on her will fall under me.”

Lina gulped and worried about how she would pay for that later as she took a seat on the couch opposite Luna as Gourry, her parents, and Zel and Amelia sat down. Before Lina could ask another question, Luna deftly changed topics. “Back to the wedding planning. There’s much to do and not a lot of time. The Eternal Queen and I were wondering about emblems and which name you were going to take?”

“Huh?” Lina said, flummoxed by being asked to give an opinion on a bunch of stuff she had not even thought about.

“Are you planning to stick with Inverse or switch to Gabriev?” Luna asked. “We have some designs in mind for emblems, but knowing if we will need a G or an I will change the final product.”

“I haven’t given it a lot of thought.” Lina stated, really wishing for a moment to talk about this in private with Gourry. She’d never given much thought to keeping or changing her name. But then, she had built a reputation for herself under Inverse. It would be a lot to give away. 

“We can be Inverse.” Gourry said.

“Are you sure?” Lina asked as a sense of relief washed through her.

He shrugged, “My dad took my mom’s name for the prestige that being a Gabriev brought. And given that I’d cut myself off from my family I don’t have any sentimental yearnings for it aside from what might have been if things had been different. And I feel closer to you than my family so I’d much rather share your name than theirs.”

Lina leaned forward and hugged him tenderly, and then stiffened as she remembered that her family was in the room, watching. “You two are so sweet together!” her mother crooned.

“Make sure you keep that up when we go into town tomorrow.” Luna added.

“Knock it off.” Lina said as she let Gourry go. 

“With that settled, here are some emblems that we arranged with an ‘I.’” Luna said as she handed them the portfolio. “We created several motifs around different spells Lina uses and swords.”

“I see.” Lina said as she stared at the three pictures, and then her eyes widened a bit as she saw a picture of a woman holding a black void over her head. “I thought we weren’t going to call attention to that spell.”

“We’re not going to teach it, but it’s a big part of your story.” Luna said.

Lina shook her head, “Gourry and I will talk about it.”

“And what about the ceremony and the vows? There are several ceremonial ones included.” Luna pressed on, and Lina wondered what all of the rush was about. But before she could ask about it, Luna had shoved the binder under her nose again.

“All of these are rather long.” Lina said as she skimmed through them. 

“Naturally.” Luna said.

“Could we tone down the pomp and circumstance a bit? It’s just not my style.”

“People are going to be more interested in the party after the ceremony anyway.” Gourry added.

“But the longer you keep them waiting for that party, the more important you are!” Luna said.

“Actually, she has a point.” Amelia interjected.

Lina reddened a little, “A wedding shouldn’t be about who is important! Look, we’ll keep it nice and classy and invite the whole damn nation if you want, but could we just keep it simple?”

“We’ll just go with the shortest ceremony then.” Luna said.

“But the shortest ceremony is still ten pages long! And in your tiny hand writing!” Lina shrieked.

“Lina, haven’t you always wanted people to bow down before you?” Luna asked, and Lina felt for a moment as though her brain would explode when Luna once again switched the topic, “Anyway, all the men now need to leave, because we need to talk about the dress.”

“We still haven’t set a date!” Lina protested. “And here you are, rushing us down some sort of checklist as though we’re getting married in two weeks!”

“But you are getting married in two weeks.” Luna explained.

“But I’ve not agreed to get married in two weeks!”

“But that is the time the Eternal Queen and I decided would be best.”

Lina’s mouth fell open. “It’s my wedding. I get to decide when would be best! But what if I’m not ready in two weeks?”

“Then you’d better get ready because in two weeks and one day you will be going on a honeymoon tour of Zeferia.” Luna explained. “And then when that is over in a few months you will have your first student, which is what all of the rush is about. We want everything formal by the time she arrives.”

“Wait, slow down. Honeymoon tour?”

“Yes! Zeferians across our nation and not just in our capital wants to meet our native born heroine. And it will be good for Gourry to get to know the kingdom.”

“I traveled through when I left the Elmekian Empire.” He said as though he didn’t mind at all how quickly this was being thrown together, “Though it doesn’t hurt to see more. Or to see some things twice. Especially with my memory! What about you, Lina?”

Lina bit her lip, “Does the tour include Caddo Lake?”

“We’ll stop by Mosswood, which is close by.” Luna said.

“Oh, fine! And what’s this about a student?” Lina asked.

“We found a talented girl with a very high magic capacity in one of the guilds.” Luna explained.

“Oh.” Lina said.

“Of course, if you really are wanting more time before you walk down the aisle we can put everything on hold.” Luna said. “It’s just once you start teaching, it will be harder to get these breaks.”

Lina laughed a little, “I just thought these days of living carefree would go on forever. I forgot I need to earn my keep. It’s fine, I just thought that these things take more time to plan.”

“Which is why we’ll get your measurements taken at the dress shop tomorrow.”

Lina frowned. She hated getting her measurements taken. All the same, she was curious as to what was in the portfolio. “Well, boys, you’d best go elsewhere. I want to see what they have in mind to dress me in!”

“But don’t go too far, I have to go over what Gourry will wear as well.”

“We’ll head to the billiards room.” Gourry said.

“You have a billiards room!?” Han said excitedly.

“This way!” Gourry said as Han and Zelgadis followed him out.

Lina moved to sit beside Luna and her mother sat on her other side while Amelia sat beside Lina as Luna opened the portfolio. The first dress was a large, pink frilly cloud monstrosity. “What are you trying to do, turn me into a damsel?” Lina asked.

Luna chuckled, and turned the page. Lina’s first thought was that the outfit looked like something Sherra would wear. “Is that based on the Zeferian soldier’s uniform?” Lina asked.

“Yes. We made it a little feminine.” Luna said.

Lina shook her head, “That’s not the look I’m wanting either. I’m a woman, and I’m strong! Why can’t both be emphasized?”

Luna turned the page again, “Something like this?”

Lina felt her eyes grow wide with want as she stared at the picture and her heart started beating fast. While she still wasn’t sure about the ceremony and the emblems, she found herself falling in love with the dress. Finally, she was facing a wedding detail that she loved!

* * *

Luna had kept them up late grilling them about the details of their wedding so that, by the time they finally got away to go to bed, neither of them bothered with the pretense of going to different rooms. They were simply so relieved to get away from her that they couldn’t care less if anyone noticed or commented.

“Damn, after fighting Dynast, Shabranigdu and others I never thought something as harmless as wedding planning could be so exhausting!” Lina said as she collapsed onto the bed without bothering to change into her nightclothes.

“Hey,” Gourry said as he got into bed with her and grabbed her hand, “You still want to marry me even with my crazy family?”

She looked at him and tried to read if he was genuinely concerned or just flirting, and decided she couldn’t tell. Gingerly she caressed his cheek before she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in for a hug, “Yes. You still want to marry me with mine?”

“Yes.” He said as he moved to catch her mouth with his.

* * *

“Guloisa?” Lina asked as she entered the kitchen and found the older woman there fixing herself a sandwich.

“Couldn’t sleep with that racket the Sad Lady was making.” Guloisa said. “What’s your excuse?”

“I was hungry.” Lina explained, and didn’t add that somehow she hadn’t woken Gourry when she left.

“Come on then. I made enough for two.”

It occurred to Lina that she had an opportunity she may never have again as she cautiously sat down with her, and decide to start grilling Guloisa before she could do the same. “By the way, when is Gourry’s birthday? Whenever I ask about his past he just says he doesn’t remember.”

Guloisa chuckled as she listed a day five months away, “And he remembers.”

“What makes you say that?”

“He was my best spy ever!” Guloisa said, “Unlike his siblings he didn’t care if people thought he was smart. People will tell someone they think is an idiot all of their secrets because they think he won’t remember. But they won’t be as loose lipped around someone smart. And Gourry told me a lot of useful secrets through the years.”

“Oh,” Lina said as she took a cautious bite of the sandwich and found that not only was it good, it also wasn’t poisoned. “I never realized Gourry had siblings.”

“He wasn’t close to his older brother. Broke my heart when he died. That was when Gourry left with the sword and it nearly shattered me, leaving at such a time. I couldn’t believe he would be so cold!”

“But why did he leave? And what was all of the fighting about anyway?” Lina asked.

“My husband, Gideon, was supposed to marry his first cousin, Anoa.” Guloisa explained, “His family tried to do everything they could to keep that sword in the family, including marrying close cousins so that even if you were a younger sibling, then either your children or grandchildren had a hope of inheriting the sword. However, this left the family with many children with blood illnesses, poor bones, and a lack of brains. My husband wasn’t affected but Anoa was and he wanted nothing to do with marrying her and producing even sicker children. And while he was wealthy he wanted a title and estate and a way for his children to break into the royal circles. So he went courting noble women and won me over. Anoa’s parents were mortified when we eloped and had challenged Gideon’s claim to the sword ever since. They felt it should go to Anoa or my brother-in-law, someone willing to marry within the family. Fighting would break out every now and then, but Gideon now had power to back his wealth and could easily subdue them.”

“And what happened to your son?” Lina asked.

“Dear Gunther.” Guloisa said with a sigh. “Some people in the family saw a way to heal the wounds as Gunther became of age and started searching for a bride. Anoa had a daughter by then, and she’d ended up marrying outside the family so she was healthy. They wanted Gunther to marry her to bring the sword back into the family. But Gunther caught the eye of a Duchess. Well, why have a rich but common woman when you can have a duchess? So he was assassinated.”

“Wow, I’m sorry.” Lina said.

“My husband’s family was adamant that they would kill the next one who tried to marry outside of the family. While my husband was gathering his forces to quash them, Gourry decided to take the sword and run. He left a note, saying that if the sword wasn’t there then there would be no reason to kill anyone for marrying outside the family and that he hoped we would start to mend things.”

“And, did you?”

Guloisa chuckled, “Gideon slaughtered most of them in revenge for killing Gunther. But he was mortality wounded in that final battle. And the people were so horrified by the slaughter that they ran me out of town. So, no. It didn’t.”

“Oh.” Lina said as she ate her sandwich and mulled over what Guloisa had told her. It was horrifying. No wonder Gourry never talked about it! And not to mention shocking. Given how noble and fair Gourry was in battle she could never fathom him slaughtering his family in battle. “Gourry is so gentle.”

“That was his failing.” Guloisa said, “It was my mother-in-law’s doing. She was a gentle woman and didn’t have the ruthlessness needed to get ahead. She and Gourry were kindred souls to say. If it weren’t for that, he would have been the perfect son, like Gunther!”

Guloisa smirked as she added, “I don’t think Gourry ever forgave himself for not being there to protect her when Gideon killed her.”

“But surely she wasn’t involved in killing Gunther!” Lina exclaimed.

“Didn’t matter.” Guloisa said, “A huge price in blood had to be paid. Gideon saw all of them as tainted regardless of whether or not they were actually involved in Gunther’s murder.”

Lina shook her head as she wondered if she should ask if Guloisa helped her husband slaughter his kin, but decided against it. In many ways she’d gotten what she was looking for, assurance that Gourry had had good reasons for doing what he had. But a terrifying hint of what Guloisa could be capable of should she ever learn about the Blast Sword. “Well, thanks for the sandwich.” Lina said.

“Why don’t you stay and we can talk some more?” Guloisa asked.

“I’m tired now.” Lina said, feeling uncomfortable even being in the room with her. No wonder Gourry had been unhappy to see her! His reaction had been downright friendly compared to what she would have done had she known! “Night!”

Lina raced up the stairs, grateful that after tomorrow they would no longer have that woman under her roof. She quietly opened the door, thankful (and amazed) that she hadn’t wakened Gourry. She walked over to the bed and brushed his bangs from his face and kissed his forehead. No wonder he wanted to focus on the future! With a past like that who would want to stay stuck on it? Other things started to make sense. Like how he had handled himself when Luke went on his rampage. While Lina had struggled between not wanting to fight her friend and the knowledge that what he was doing was wrong, Gourry knew exactly what to do. He’d had to make those hard decisions before. She crawled into bed and wrapped her arms around him, the feeling of melancholy she’d occasionally experienced after Milina died asserting itself. She closed her eyes and decided to take a page from Gourry’s book, and started thinking about ways to build a happier family with him. A family that he deserved.


	11. Chapter 11

“Strange, this baby doesn’t look like you or Gourry.” Luke said as he held a bubbly golden retriever pup on his lap.

Milina punched Luke on the arm as a golden tabby perched itself on her shoulder like a parrot. “What, Milina?” he asked.

“That’s not a nice thing to say!” Milina said as the cat started to purr, “They are beautiful, Lina.”

“I never expected to see you here.” Lina said as they sat on the lawn in front of her manor.

“We wanted you to know that we don’t blame you for living your life.” Milina explained as she sat the tabby sat down and it walked over to Lina.

“Yeah, it’s what we’d want for you. You two settle down, enjoy your rest, while Milina and I travel the world and have more treasure for ourselves.” Luke added as he sat the puppy down and then he brought a ball from his pocket and threw it into the distance. The dog barked and chased after it.

“But you two never got to do that.” Lina pointed out as the cat curled up in her lap. “You’ll never explore the world or find more treasure again.”

“That wasn’t your fault.” Milina said.

“It’s why I called you and Gourry to me.” Luke said quietly as the dog brought the ball back to him, “So you two could move forward, even if I couldn’t. I knew you would keep the world turning. Stop beating yourself up for it.”

Suddenly the tabby jumped on her face and Lina jumped, and when she opened her eyes she found herself in bed with Gourry, who was stretching as he woke. She exhaled as she thought about the dream and realized that she felt as though a weight had been lifted off of her. She felt more at peace than she had since Milina had died, even more so since Luke had died. Had it been a dream she’d needed to have to move on? Or had Luke and Milina’s spirits somehow traveled through her dreams to talk to her? 

Slowly she sat up and glanced at the window to see how high the sun was and froze as she saw a golden tabby looking in. Lina shook her head, but before she could get up and open the window the cat had run off. Strange.

Gourry put a hand on her shoulder, and she turned towards him and kissed him, and he gently moved his hands to her hips, and for the first time she fully allowed herself to experience the excitement she felt over their upcoming life together. Something must have shown in her kiss, because when he gently pulled away his eyes were sparkling merrily, “Morning, Sunshine.”

“Morning.” She replied as she moved to give him a deeper kiss, but just for a little bit before she pulled away and touched her forehead to his. “I talked to your mother last night.”

“Huh?” he said as she felt his hands tense around her hips.

She reached forward to stroke his cheek, “Couldn’t sleep. She couldn’t either. And I just want you to know that I know why you left the Elmekian Empire and that it doesn’t change anything. I still love you.”

He smiled a little and kissed her lightly on the lips, though his expression was unreadable, “Did you think I was scared it would change anything?”

“I wasn’t sure.” She said.

He nodded, “Big day today. Seeing the last of Mother and more wedding planning.”

“More wedding planning!” Lina echoed with gusto.

He cocked an eyebrow at her, “You seem more enthusiastic than you did yesterday.”

“I guess I am.” She replied.

“Was not knowing about my past troubling you so much?”

Lina frowned, “It wasn’t about that so much.”

“What was it about then?” he asked.

She sighed, “Look, if I’d not gotten this mansion and accolades, if we’d just gone home and popped into the judge’s office for a quick ceremony, I wouldn’t have thought anything of it. But all of this, it’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Well, if you’re wanting to be daring we can still elope.”

She smiled and punched playfully at his arm, “No one has that much daring.”

“What caused you to become more comfortable with it?” he asked.

“It’s silly.” Lina said. “But last night I dreamt that Luke and Milina stopped by and gave their blessing for all of this.”

“Oh,” he said.

“I feel better though.”

“Then it’s not silly if it helped you.” He pointed out.

She moved to kiss him again, “You know, we still have an hour before breakfast. We can fool around a little.”

* * *

“Here it is. The moment of truth.” Lina whispered as she waited outside with Gourry, Amelia and Zelgadis. Luna was already in a carriage she had commandeered to take them back to Zefiel City, but as there was only room for four, only Luna and Guloisa would be using it. Or rather, hopefully Guloisa would use it. Hopefully Guloisa would leave the house!

The doors opened, and Lina’s stomach flipped, but it was only her parents. Her mother walked behind her and whispered in her ear, “We saw Guloisa with a ton of bags, so hopefully she’s serious about moving out.”

When the doors opened again, it was Jeeves, carrying all of the aforementioned bags to the carriage. “Let me give you a hand.” Gourry said.

“Oh, no sir, I have it.”

“Anything to get her out of here faster!” Gourry said as he grabbed three bags and loaded them into the carriage.

“I heard that!” Guloisa said as she stood at the door. 

Gourry straightened and gave a nervous chuckle as Guloisa stared out at everyone. And though they tried to remain blank faced, none of them could mask their anticipation. She sighed, “How do I really know that this plumb offer at the palace will materialize?”

“We told you, if you’re who knows where you can spread who knows what lies about us. So we have some good incentives to keep you under close watch.” Lina said.

“That’s true, but…” Guloisa said as she started rubbing her fingers together.

Lina sighed. Figures. By this point what was a few gold coins for some sanity? “Fine!” Lina said as she got out her coin purse and dumped the contents into Guloisa’s outstretched hand.

Guloisa smiled as she pocketed the money and stepped out. Lina glowered as she watched her walk to the carriage, but once she was finally in she felt herself relax. At last, she was free of that woman! She only hoped that Luna wouldn’t make her pay too dearly for having to endure a carriage ride with her later.

“Lina!” Han admonished, “You didn’t even try to haggle!”

“Well, I was worried something like this would happen, so I put some fakes in my bag.” Lina explained.

Her father clasped her on the shoulder as he laughed, “Good thinking!”

“I feel so much better now!” Gourry said as the carriage took off. 

“You and me both!” Lina said. “Would it be too impolite to throw confetti?”

“She could still see us.” Amelia cautioned.

“Well damn. I guess we’d best get going anyway.”

Lina felt her mother grab her hand to hold her back as the others set off. “What?” Lina asked once they were a bit ahead and they followed at a discreet distance.

“I’m as guilty as Luna I guess, but I do want to make sure you don’t feel rushed into this.” Leia explained, “The wedding and everything.”

Lina waved her hand, “It’s fine, really. Two weeks is a bit rushed considering how big of an event Sis is planning, but Gourry and I have been together for two years and have never had any intention of separating, so it really doesn’t matter if it’s two weeks or two months. If we were going to do something simple we probably would have done it shortly after we got home.”

“That makes me feel better. Honestly I don’t know why Luna is rushing this, other than I overheard her telling one of the other Ceiphied Knights that the sooner it happened, the better. One year was already wasted, and in another four it would be too late.”

Lina furrowed her brow. “Too late for a wedding? That makes no sense. Why would it matter if we got married now or four years from now? And besides that, who takes four years to plan a wedding?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Leia replied, “I tried to worm it out of her, but you know how she is.”

Lina sighed, “Oh, boy do I ever!”

* * *

“Uncle Gourry!” Luna’s kids cried as Lina and Gourry approached Luna’s cottage with Zel and Amelia.

Lina watched as the boys ran to Gourry and showered him with hugs and found herself smiling warmly. He did have a way with children. Luna shook her head, “I think my sons are happier to see you than they were to see me!”

“You can be mean, Mommy!” Freddie explained as he hugged Luna.

“Hey, that hurt.”

“The truth tends to do that.” Lina said. “Is Guloisa settled in the palace?”

“Yes,” Luna said, “The Eternal Queen is pleased to have a new source of information available. She will attend the wedding, but hopefully you will see her as little as possible.”

“Good.” Lina said.

“What beautiful children you have, Miss Luna.” Amelia commented, her arm wrapped with Zel’s.

“Thank you. This is Bertie, and this is Freddie. Come in, let’s have lunch.” Luna said as everyone followed her in, “Princess Amelia, the Eternal Queen has asked to see you at your earliest convenience.”

“Oh, good!” Amelia said, “Our Ambassador is retiring, and I’d gotten permission from my daddy to assume his duties if that’s alright with everyone. That way I can be close to court and still stay at Miss Lina’s place, and Zel can help with the school.”

“Which only has one pupil thus far.” Lina said as they sat down around the table.

“Six.” Luna corrected.

“Six?” Lina asked, “That fast?”

“This has been in motion for awhile.” Luna explained.

Lina exhaled, “Six then.”

“While you’re on your honeymoon tour we’ll make whatever changes are needed to your house.” Luna said.

“Ah,” Amelia said as she pulled out a binder with the plans she and Lina had been working on, “I have that here!”

“First,” Luna interjected, “What are you planning to name your school?”

“Pritty Lina’s Magic School?” Lina said with a cutesy smile.

Gourry and Amelia choked down a laugh while Luna stared at her stone faced. Lina continued, “Pritty with an ‘i’, not an ‘e’, it’s very important.”

A red tint started to color Luna’s face and her hair started to stand up. Lina waved her hands in front of her, “Calm down, Sis! It was a joke! A joke! Geez, don’t get all red in the face! How about the Luke and Milina School of Sorcery and Swordplay?”

Luna stared at her evenly for a moment before saying, “Okay.”

Lina folded her arms across her chest, “But in my heart, it will always be Pritty Lina’s Magic School.”

* * *

Lina stood in between Gourry and her parents at the gazebo in the center of the city where, just a few days ago, she had been knighted. Already the townspeople were stopping and whispering excitedly as her father stepped forward. “My wife, Leia, and I are pleased to announce the engagement of our daughter, Lina Inverse, to Gourry Gabriev! The wedding will take place in two weeks at Ceiphied’s Chapel.”

The crowds applauded as they rushed forward to offer their congratulations. At first Lina was flattered, but after being stuck there for an hour shaking hands and accepting well wishes, it started to get a little tiring. The routine was getting so monotonous and she was getting so overwhelmed that at first she didn’t recognize the red haired, bearded man who shook her hand as he said, “Well, it’s about time.”

“Thanks.” Lina said, prepared to move on to the nest well-wisher.

“Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me!” he said.

Lina stared at him a moment, and then it clicked. “Oh, Lantz!” She grabbed Gourry’s elbow, “Look who’s here!”

“Lantz?” Gourry asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Just on my way through, as always.” He said.

“Who is this?” Leia asked.

“Oh, Lantz helped us out on a few adventures,” Lina explained, “Haven’t seen him in a while though. Though, this may solve a problem we have.”

“Huh?” Lantz asked.

“Any chance you can stay a few weeks for the wedding?” Lina asked.

Lantz shrugged, “I don’t see why not. But why?”

“Well, I have three bridesmaids, but because none of Gourry’s family is here he only has two groomsmen, and one of them is my sister’s husband. It would be good to have another person who fought beside us in the wedding party, if you don’t object, Gourry.”

“No,” Gourry said pleasantly, “I’d be honored.”

Lantz smiled, “Well, so would I! Honestly I’m surprised it too you two this long to get together. Hey, why don’t I buy you a drink?”

“Thanks,” Gourry said as he whispered, “Anything to get me away from this crowd!”

Lina moved to leave with them, but Luna grabbed her shoulder, “Not so fast! You have a dress fitting.”

Lina looked at them regretfully, “Don’t have too much fun without me. Later!”

* * *

“Careful!” Lina snapped at the seamstress as the pin she put into the fabric pierced her leg.

“I’m sorry, my lady.”

Lina shook her head, and tried not to mutter about how with this spared no expense affair her sister was planning one would think they could afford a seamstress who didn’t draw blood. Instead she said to Luna with more bravado than genuine courage, “I went through the ceremony stuff with a large, red quill and cut out all of the excess.”

Luna cocked an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“I told you, Gourry and I don’t want all of this pomp and circumstance. We’re warriors, and we’ll go through with the big public wedding and the whatnot, but we’re not becoming members of the royal family and we don’t need a ceremony fit for one!”

“Well, if you think that any of the ceremonies presented would have been something that any member of the royal family would have demeaned themselves by having, then your head has been getting too big for your shoulders and you need to be taken down a peg.”

Lina’s temper flared, and she struggled to keep the reigns on it, “Well, a good way to start would be by approving my edits!”

“No, the ceremony is as fine as stands. This is not a negotiation, Lina. You chose to marry him, you chose to do it in two weeks, everything else is set in stone.”

Lina turned red as a deep sense of frustration filled her. But Luna put her fingers to her knife and Lina realized it would be pointless to fight against it. Not unless she wanted a public demonstration of just how much more powerful Luna was than her. Lina folded her arms across her chest as the seamstress continued to pin her gown. Delicately she said, “Look, I was talking to Mom, and she said that there was some reason for all of the rush that you aren’t telling me. And considering it concerns my life, I’d like to know what it is!”

Luna shrugged nonchalantly, “If I told you that, then you would be marrying Gourry for the wrong reasons, and I have to make sure you do the right thing for the right reasons and within a timely manner.”

“Now I’m even more confused!” Lina said. 

Luna shrugged as she tapped her finger against her knife, “It will all be made clear, one day. But not any time soon.”

“Oh, fine.” Lina moaned as she decided to let the matter drop. Before she embarrassed herself any further in front of the seamstress.

* * *

“I just don’t get why she’s so hung up on this big ceremony!” Lina vented as she sat with Amelia on the porch steps. 

“Well, it’s a good way to show that your family has achieved an esteemed status.” Amelia said.

“Well, I could care less about that, but Sis would.” Lina said as she wrapped her hands around her knees. “Well, I guess there’s no choice but to go through with it.”

“That doesn’t sound like you, Miss Lina.” Amelia said.

“It is just a stupid wedding after all. Get it over it and behind us.”

“It’s never just a stupid wedding!” Amelia admonished, “It’s about control.”

“Huh?” Lina said.

“If you take this lying down, then you give your sister permission to run your life!” Amelia spelled out.

Lina opened her mouth to protest, but found that she couldn’t. She stared at her knees instead as she said, “So that’s why this is bothering me so much.”

“And that’s why I eloped. It sent a strong message that I would live my life on my terms.” Amelia explained.

“I don’t want to elope. I just want the wedding I want, not the one my sister wants. But what can I do? I don’t even know the priest performing the ceremony, and Luna has been in their inner circle since we learned that she is a Ceiphied Knight! Plus she has the Eternal Queen’s ear.”

“Yeah, but your sister wasn’t the one who defeated Shabringdu, twice.” Amelia said.

Lina shook her head, “Just tell me where you’re going with this. Intrigues of this nature are new to me!”

“Find out what the Eternal Queen expects, and anything she hasn’t set in stone that you don’t want, stay firm with. Find who is responsible for performing the ceremony and talk to them. Don’t let her take control.”

“And when Sis comes after me with her knife…” Lina said.

“You’re a different person than when you left five years ago!” Amelia said. “Show her that.”

Lina thought for a moment as she bit her lip. Finally she said, “Okay, go over it with me. How do I approach the Eternal Queen with this without getting my head chopped off?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, wedding battles get heated as Lina faces off with Luna! Will their parents' store survive?
> 
> Lantz is a character in the novels. He does have a brief appearance in the anime as Tarimu's swordsman. He plays a larger role in the sorcerer's guild arc and in the arc with Copy Rezo in the novels. I've been wanting to include him in something for a long time and am glad to finally have the opportunity to do so.


	12. Chapter 12

Gourry and Lantz had run into Zelgadis on their way to the bar and had asked the to join them. Soon the three were catching up and exchanging stories about their adventures since they had last seen each other. The bar was crowded, but they found a table in a corner and, though it was noisy, they managed to just barely hear each other.

“So what do you say, Zel, shouldn’t we throw Gourry the biggest stag party for his last night as a free man?” Lantz said as the barkeeper topped off their drinks.

“I really don’t want all that.” Gourry said.

“Scared of what Lina will do to you?” Lantz asked.

“No. It’s just that I outgrew that phase fast when I found out how quickly it leads to trouble I don’t need.” Gourry explained. 

“Oh, come on! We’re not in a place where you have to keep your guard up all the time!” Lantz said. 

“I’m fine going out for a drink the night before. But I don’t want to be hungover or anything.”

“There you go, making the rest of us look bad.”

Gourry shook his head incredulously, “Perhaps there’s a reason you’re single and I’m not?”

Zel laughed a little as Lantz flared, “Hey, I’ve had my share of girlfriends!”

“Women who don’t respect themselves. And women who don’t respect themselves attract men who don’t respect themselves, and two people who don’t respect themselves won’t be happy together for long.” Gourry pointed out.

“That’s harsh.” Lantz said.

“Found you!” Amelia said chipperly as seemed to magically materialize between a crowd of people as she headed over to their table, with Lina following behind. 

As Lantz looked her over, Lina rolled her eyes, “Oh brother!”

“Have you met my wife, Amelia?” Zelgadis asked as Amelia wrapped an arm around him and gave him a peck on the cheek.

“Wife?” Lantz said as he shook his head, “Congrats, Zel! Of course, the good ones are always taken.”

“Huh?” Amelia said, obviously a little confused.

Lina groaned, “Amelia, this is Lantz, someone we fought with right before we met you actually. Lantz, this is Amelia, and in addition to being married she’s way out of your league so don’t even think of it.”

“I forgot how mean you are.” Lantz said.

“Any way, I’d like to stay, but Gourry and I have big things to discuss.” Lina said as she grabbed Gourry by the elbow.

“We do?” he asked.

“We’re getting married! There’s always something to discuss!” Lina said.

“Oh,” he said as he turned to wave to the group. “Well, see you!” 

“Bye,” Lantz said and waited until they were turned around before making the motion of a whip.

Lina looked at Gourry as they left the bar and asked, “Let me guess, he’s planning the biggest night of drunken debauchery for you.”

“You sound worried?” he stated.

“Well, I guess I am.”

“About Lantz?” he asked.

“No. About standing up to Sis.”

“Huh?” he said.

“We’re going to see the Eternal Queen tomorrow.”

* * *

“So, how are you two settling in?” the Eternal Queen asked as they sat in her parlor.

“Very well,” Lina said as she tried not to trip over the stilted words she had gone over with Amelia, “The manor is lovely and it will be well suited for our needs, though we’re not sure what we’ll do with all of that space. We are very grateful, your majesty.”

The Eternal Queen smiled, “Several more students have been found since just yesterday. I don’t think you will have to worry about filling it. I understand you have had some visitors.”

“Well, it’s haunted, but we can use that for training purposes, so it’s perfect, really.” Lina looked at Gourry out of the corner of her eye, “And as far as my future mother-in-law…”

“She’s settling in well. She gave some good information. We’re waiting to see if it checks out.”

“Good,” Lina said. 

“So, what can I help you with?”

Lina took a deep breath, “Gourry and I were wondering what you have in mind for our wedding ceremony.”

The Eternal Queen smiled, “Is there something wrong with the one that Luna has planned?”

“No, not if you’re Luna.”

“But it’s wrong if you’re Lina.”

“Exactly. Respectfully, Gourry and I are warriors, and we want a ceremony that reflects that. We’re not priests or Ceiphied’s chosen. It just doesn’t feel authentic.”

The Eternal Queen smiled kindly, “I’m glad you felt comfortable talking to me about this. Honored, truly. I know how intimidating your sister can be. And I worried that if you ever disagreed with her about a matter that impacted the fate of the world you would be too cowed to stand your ground, so that you are coming to me over a much smaller matter is heartening.”

Lina’s eyebrows raised as her heart started beating faster. Gourry put a hand on her knee as the Eternal Queen continued, “Truthfully it does not matter to me what sort of ceremony you have, so long as you have one. I will summon High Priest Etto Skinner, who will be performing the ceremony, and I will let him know that you and Gourry have full control. He is close to Luna, but he won’t dare disobey me. Have the ceremony you desire.”

Lina felt relief wash over her. For the first time ever, she had won a round against her sister! And it had been easier than she had ever thought possible! The Eternal Queen wasn’t even mad, she was flattered. There was no way Luna could wrest control back now. “Thank you, your majesty!”

* * *

“So Priest Skinner wasn’t happy about it, but he’s going along with it.” Lina told her mother as Leia took inventory. Nearby, Han was at the register while Gourry helped out with some heavy lifting. “He was very defensive about Sis.”

“Well, he and Luna are close.”

“Oh?” Lina asked, “How close?”

“Close enough that they went to the oracle to see if they had a future together.” Leia said hesistantly.

“Damn!” Lina said. “I guess it wasn’t meant to be?”

“Yeah, he said their paths were with other people. Priest Skinner decided to abandon the relationship.” 

“Wow.” Lina said. “That must have hurt! If Gourry took the word of some stupid oracle over me…”

“I know.” Leia said. “You know how she is, though.”

“Anyway, Gourry and I are about to leave to go back to Maninstit. We don’t want to be anywhere near here when Sis learns about this. So I guess we won’t see each other until we come back the day before the wedding.”

“With the new and improved shortened ceremony.” 

“And hard fought for.” Lina said. “Gee, was her wedding so unsatisfactory that she feels she has to come in and run mine?”

“Well, it was a small, simple ceremony to her second choice.” Leia summed up, “So, yes.”

The door to the store slammed opened, and Luna stood framed in it, and Lina stood to attention. “W-what are you doing off work so early?” Lina asked, and then she gulped as she saw the look in Luna’s eyes. 

While Luna was generally the more even tempered of the siblings, Lina had learned the hard way that when her sister was pushed to her limit, the result was a painful display of pent up rage. And judging by the way Luna’s eyes were flashing as a menacing aura filled the store, Luna was at her limit.

“What the hell did you think you were doing?!” Luna yelled as she approached Lina as the customers stopped and stared. “Going over my head like that!”

Lina stood as tall as she could. Which, even with the platforms she’d added to her boots, meant she was still a good few inches shorter than her sister. But she knew that if she backed down now it would all be for nothing. She would have to take it, no matter how much it hurt. It took Guloisa just taking one round of shocks and staying firm for Luna to give up and give her some concessions. Surely she could take a page from her book. “You weren’t exactly giving me a lot of leeway!” Lina shot back.

“There were millions of steps you should have taken before seeing the Eternal Queen!” Luna yelled.

“Oh my gosh, you two, take it in the back!” Leia said, exasperatedly.

On the one hand, Lina desperately wanted to get into the privacy of the kitchen just behind the store. That would be a lot less humiliating. But going there meant turning her back to Luna, something she was not inclined to do. “You go first.” Lina said to Luna.

“Not on your life!” Luna said as she grabbed the knife. “You have forgotten some things since you left!”

“Things have changed since she left.” Gourry said as he got between them. 

“Stand aside!” Luna ordered.

“No.” Gourry said. “Lina and I are a pair. If you want to hurt one of us, you have to take on both of us.”

“Fine!” Luna said as she brought her knife up, and Gourry was quick to cut through it with his sword.

Luna’s eyes widened, “You draw that sword against me?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“I don’t need a full knife to do this!” she said as she prepared to channel her will through it again.

“Aero Bomb!” Lina chanted, and a small ball of air exploded before Luna, pushing her back a little and deflecting her energy. While it was a weak spell, it still knocked a few items off the shelves, causing the customers to run for the exit as her parents came over.

“Come on, that’s enough!” Han said. “Take it outside!”

“Oh, it’s just starting!” Luna said as her hair stood on end, and Lina shuddered as she realized that Luna was just getting even more riled up. She had hoped when she found she wouldn’t be intimidated she would stand down like she had with Guloisa. But it seemed that with Lina, who had always backed down under Luna’s threats, it was more personal.

“If you’re going to do this, at least take it outside!” Leia pleaded.

But Luna raised her arm holding the broken knife again. “Put it down, Luna.” Han said, “Lina really didn’t do anything wrong for once and she’s not a child anymore anyway. Put it down and let’s talk this out.”

“I have my reasons, and I don’t have to justify them to you.” Luna snapped as she kept her arm raised. Han jumped and grabbed her arm and pulled it back, letting go with a cry when she shocked him. 

“Hey!” Leia said as she got behind Luna and attempted to seize her arms, but Luna stepped on her foot and grabbed her arm and threw her against the wall, sending her against the shelves. 

Lina shook her head, Luna had never attacked their parents, though the threat had always seemed to be there. At the same time none of them had ever challenged Luna’s power so directly before. They’d never had reason to. But that had suddenly changed. Amelia was right. If Luna lost this battle, then she lost the control she was used to wielding over the sister she was used to keeping under a tight thumb. And Luna did not care if her parents were casualties in the battle to maintain that power.

“Mono Volt!” Lina yelled, but Luna channeled her will around herself to create a shield. What Lina wasn’t expecting was for the spell to rebound back on her. She cried out a little, but it wasn’t too bad.

But by then Gourry had been able to move behind Luna and attempted to wrap his arm around her neck in a sleeper hold. Luna stuck her hand in front of her neck and gave him an elbow to the gut, causing him to step back. Lina wasted no time casting her next spell, “Ly Briem!”

Luna dodged and rolled to the side, avoiding the spell, and Gourry barely managed to bring his sword up to cut it before it hit him instead. “Sorry, honey!” Lina said as Gourry glared at her.

Luna, meanwhile, had landed near her mother, who wasted no time in sitting on top of her while Han grabbed the remains of the knife from her hand. “That’s enough! Get ahold of yourself!”

Luna screamed as an aura of power formed around her, and her parents jumped away as it radiated around her, knocking the shelves down around them. Han stayed down, but Leia forced herself up and ran towards the door. “Mom?” Lina asked, but she didn’t have long to obsess over where she was going, because Luna stood up and grabbed another knife from her apron and threw the energy at Lina and Gourry. Gourry once again cut through it with the Blast Sword as he whispered to Lina, “I don’t want to get too rough but…”

“Don’t worry. She can handle it.” Lina said. Gourry shook his head and moved forward to attack, and seemed surprised that this time her butter knife deflected his sword. Had she encased it with energy to protect it from the super sharp sword that could cut through anything?

He attacked, she parried, and then she grabbed her sword. It was then that it occurred to Lina that she should have told Gourry that Luna was ambidextrous, but he soon found out for himself as she thrusted, momentarily catching him off guard. He soon found himself busy, fending off a two-pronged attack from Luna, but he was definitely up to the task of keeping up. Privately Lina had wondered which of them would best the other in a fight, though she hadn’t been keen to find out. Luna attacked, Gourry parried, and when their swords connected it was as though an explosion went off as she channeled her will from her weapons and directly into the Blast Sword itself!

Gourry cried out as his hands received a nasty shock and he dropped his sword while Lina was knocked over by the shockwave that resulted from Luna dumping her power into a weapon as powerful as the Blast Sword. As she got up she looked at Gourry and saw that his hands were burned, while Luna looked smug. “Now,” she said as she turned to Lina.

But then the store creaked ominously as one of the walls collapsed. Lina ran to Gourry and cast a shield spell as the roof caved in over them. After what seemed like ages the dust cleared, and Luna stood in the remains of the store, still looking murderous. Lina shook her head. “Gee, is this how you act when you don’t get your way, because…”

“Mommy? Are you okay?” Freddie asked, and Lina suddenly figured out where her mother had gone, as Leia walked up the street holding each of the twins, looking stunned.

“What! Our store! What did you do to our store!?” Leia said.

Luna, meanwhile, shook her head, looking dazed as she walked over to her mother and took her children. “I’m fine, darling.” She then looked around at the remains of her parents’ store, “Too bad you didn’t think of getting them earlier, Mom. I may have remembered myself before it was too late. I think I have some things to think through.”

Han and Leia looked at her, stunned, and Gourry wrapped an arm around Lina. Had she really won one against Luna? But at such a cost! She looked around at the detritus of her parents’ shop as Luna walked away with her family. But then, at least it was contained to her families’ store. Lina looked at Gourry, who exhaled. Then she looked at her parents, “You know, I was thinking we could use a few more teachers. According to the Eternal Queen we’re at 30 pupils now, and with that many I’d have to serve more as a headmistress than a teacher.”

Leia put a hand over her mouth while Han looked around morosely. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the wedding is in sight! Either next chapter or the one after that!


	13. Chapter 13

“I’ve warned you for years,” Lina said as her father shifted through the rubble of his store, “She was bound to come unhinged one day! She just seems calm and angelic. She’s hiding some serious rage behind the surface.”

“Hm.” Han said.

Lina smiled a little, “I mean I know I have the reputation of being a bull in a china shop, but I always said Sis was worse, she was just better at covering her tracks. And now here’s the evidence, there for you to see!”

“Lina, darling,” Han said, “If I didn’t know you better, I would say you are enjoying this a bit too much.”

“It’s not everyday I look like the calm, rational one!” Lina said.

“But I’d hate to think that you are smiling on our misfortune.”

“I’m not!” Lina said sweetly as Gourry walked up with a wagon. “But I have been waiting for you to admit for years that I am your favorite!”

Han ruffled her hair a bit, “Parents don’t have favorites.”

“I never destroyed your shop!” Lina said.

“I’ll give you that,” he said as he started loading some of the items he had salvaged from the detritus to the wagon, “But I have a list of other things you did destroy.”

“Hush.” Lina said as something caught her eye. She picked it up, “Wow, you didn’t get rid of my dolls?”

“Lina played with dolls?” Gourry asked.

“Shocking, I know,” Han said.

“What’s shocking is that you were sentimental and kept them!” Lina said.

“That was your mother’s doing.” Han said as he looked down the street as Leia returned from visiting Luna. Lina and Han had thought she was being enabling by seeking her out, but Leia felt compelled to speak to her, “Speaking of…Did you see Luna?”

She shook her head, “She refused to talk to me. _Harold_ was apologetic. I can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong.”

“She didn’t get her way and she’s used to getting her way.” Han snapped as he started to sort through the wreckage again.

“By whatever painful means necessary.” Lina added.

“Well, she probably didn’t know what would happen when she channeled her will into the Blast Sword. How could she?” Leia asked. “But still…”

“She’s not pregnant, is she?” Gourry asked, “I mean I hear women get weird when that happens.”

“She’s not. I’d know.” Leia said confidently.

“She would.” Han said, “I swear Leia knew Luna was pregnant before she did. She was commenting to me about it for weeks. Leia has a sixth sense there.”

“Well, she’s probably a bit embarrassed now. I’m sure she’ll get over it.” Lina said, as she wrapped an arm around her mother, “Meanwhile, you will come to live with us and you will never have to do laundry ever again!”

Leia brightened a little as Han shook his head, “Actually, I am liking the sound of that.”

* * *

The following two weeks moved quickly, and Lina had to think that for someone supposedly on vacation before she started the next chapter in her life, she sure was busy with preparations for it! Craftspeople came by to go over plans to improve the mansion and to start to work on it. Extra staff seemed to appear to help Alona with the reorganization as the ground floor of the house transformed into a school with a classroom, two dorms for the students (one for the boys and one for the girls) and the ballroom was turned into a gym designed for sparring (and reinforced to withstand strong magical attacks). 

Meanwhile her parents settled in upstairs, along with Zel and Amelia. Lina enjoyed going through the libraries with her mother and Zelgadis, while Gourry and Han worked on creating a training program for teaching swordplay. Amelia spent her days at court and came home each night with fresh gossip, and Lina soon found that hearing about Guloisa’s antics was much more fun when she was not at the center of them! 

Through those weeks, Luna stayed distant. Amelia reported seeing her at court but couldn’t get a read on her. Lina had wondered if she would back out of being a bridesmaid, but if she was planning any further bits of drama she stayed silent. Lina merely decided to enjoy the freedom that came with not being under her heel.

When Gourry rolled over and started to spoon with her on the morning they would leave for Zefiel City to have the wedding rehearsal, Lina couldn’t quite believe that the day before the wedding was already upon them. “You ready?” he asked.

Lina smiled a little as she squeezed his arm, “Yes, actually. Though, I had a strange dream.”

“Oh?” he asked.

“It’s silly. But I dreamt that when they got to the part about if anyone has any objections to this union, Sylphiel sprang up in the audience and announced that you were already married to her!”

“Sylphiel?” Gourry asked with a laugh. “Well, I don’t remember ever marrying her, but I do tend to forget the stupid things I do when I’m drunk!”

“Only you would be stupid enough to forget that you got married.” Lina teased before she turned in his arms to face him, “So, marrying her would have been stupid?”

“Well, yeah.” He said.

“How so? I mean, sure she’s a bit of a daydreamer, but if I were a man I would have loved her. And she was crazy for you!”

“She just wasn’t my type.” he said.

“But you’re a man!” Lina said, “It’s a low bar, isn’t it? If she’s pretty and willing, then I thought all men were good to go!”

Gourry cocked an eyebrow at her, “For someone who’s never been with anyone else, you sure have a low view of men sometimes.”

“Do you know how many men like Lantz I met before I met you! Hell, that was one good reason for traveling with you. It kept the creeps away.”

He smiled a little, “Oh, so the guardian thing wasn’t just redundant on my part!”

Lina shook her head, “It still stuns me when you use a big word. But back to what we were talking about, there has to be a reason you didn’t stay around Sairaag.”

“I was a lot younger then. Wasn’t ready to settle down for one thing.”

“But that wouldn’t have stopped you if you loved her.”

He leaned forward to touch his forehead to hers, “It was a difficult time for me. I’d left home. You know why I had to do it, and it was the right decision, but I wasn’t feeling good about myself and what I had to do. I was still in that place where I was questioning everything I did, wondering if I could have changed anything that would have made a difference. I was angry at the world and trying to find a connection to it. I decided to see Sairaag because of the history of the Sword of Light, and I thought perhaps I’d feel closer to an ancestor I could be proud of.”

“And?” Lina asked.

“And I got caught up in a situation there. I met Sylphiel’s father, Uruk. I respected him a lot. He was a good man. And then I realized he had high hopes for me and Sylphiel and that he saw me as son-in-law material and that Sylphiel was growing very fond of me. He was the type of father who wants to see his daughter happy. I hated having to let them down, but they thought the world of me, that I was so heroic and noble and…”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I didn’t feel heroic and noble! It felt like I was deceiving them. I was guilt ridden for stealing the Sword of Light, and guilt ridden over what my family had done to each other. I thought if they knew the truth about how I got the sword or what had happened back home they wouldn’t be so quick to sing my praises, but I also couldn’t tell them that, not without consequences I didn’t want to accept. So it didn’t feel honest listening to them go on about how noble and good I was when I knew the truth. I felt like I was deceiving Sylphiel by sticking around. So I got out of there quickly.”

“Oh.” Lina said, feeling surprised at how he had opened up to her and unsure about how to react. “That’s sad.”

“It has a happy ending.” He said. “Because I met you. And I felt you saw me for who I am. And you still followed me around, even when I did lose the Sword of Light.”

“Hey! I was doing the decent thing, finding you a replacement!”

“You still followed me around even when we found a replacement.” He sang as he pulled her to him.

She pushed him onto his back and then rolled on him so she was straddling him as she put her hands on his chest. His eyes flashed as she said, “Keep that up and I’m going to have to knock you down a peg!”

He smiled at her, “Is that a threat or a promise?”

She returned the grin as she leaned down to kiss him, “Why don’t you let me know when I’m done?”

* * *

“It just seems so silly to have a rehearsal.” Lina whined as she sat with Amelia on the steps of the chapel. “We’re only going to do the same thing tomorrow, but with fancier clothes!”

“Well, how often do you get married?” Amelia asked, “You’d be surprised at the stupid mistakes people make. And you don’t want anything to go wrong on the big day!”

“I still say it’s silly…” Lina said, and her voice trailed off as Luna came up to them.

“Hey, you.” Luna said.

“Hey.” Lina said as she grasped the edges of the steps. “What have you been busy with?”

“Nothing that concerns you.” Luna said. “Listen, at the risk of beating a dead horse…”

“You can’t really…” Lina started.

“It’s very important that you do the longer ceremony.” Luna said. “This one you have planned won’t even take ten minutes!”

“But why does it matter so much?” Lina asked.

“You just have to trust me. I know things that you don’t. And I can’t tell you some of those things.”

Lina bit her lip, “You ask me to trust you after you attacked me, Gourry, Mom and Dad and destroyed the store?”

“I am closer to Ceiphied than you are and I have my reasons. The ends justify the means.”

Lina shook her head, “I’ve been on my own for the past five years, fighting Shabranigdu and making the hard calls and choices, but because you’re closer to Ceiphied than me you can’t tell me the reasons you have for how I conduct my life? Wow. That really takes the cake.”

Luna twitched, and for a moment Lina feared she would pull her knife out again. But surely she wouldn’t risk destroying the chapel! “I see you’ve grown a spine since you were gone. That’s unfortunate. Fine then, but don’t blame me for the consequences.”

“Consequences?” Lina repeated as Luna walked up the steps into the chapel.

“Wow.” Amelia said. “You don’t think she’s serious?”

“I don’t know.” Lina said, “It just makes no sense! Why would it matter?”

“Why would what matter?” Kate asked as she walked up to them.

“Oh, thank goodness you’re here!” Lina said as she jumped up to hug her. “Amelia, this is my friend, Kate. Kate, this is Amelia.”

“Hey,” Amelia said.

“It’s good to meet you.” Kate said. “What’s bothering you?”

“Sis is being a bitch.” Lina said.

“Nothing new there.” Kate said, “Aside from you stating as much louder than a whisper.”

Lina smiled a little, “I guess I thought it would be different when I got home, that she’d see I was mature and all that and back off a little. Given how I’ve done perfectly well without her on my back for five years you’d think she’d know to trust me. But I guess I needed to show her how I changed.”

“Well, you keep doing the good there, I’ll stay out of her way as much as possible. How long until the rehearsal starts?” Kate asked.

“We still have some twenty minutes.” Lina said as she glanced at the clock tower.

“And what are we doing after the rehearsal?” Kate asked, “I’ve not had a night out since the baby was born! I’m torn between sending Alex constant messages asking how she’s doing and wanting to put down the burdens of motherhood and fully embrace my night of freedom!”

“Is it that burdensome?” Lina asked.

“It won’t be for me, or for you Miss Lina.” Amelia said, “The Eternal Queen did say she’d get you a nanny.”

“That would be a luxury.” Kate said. “Lucky you, but you did earn it.”

“There’s some things I wouldn’t avoid. Does labor really hurt as much as everyone says it does?” Lina asked.

“I remember that every time I thought it couldn’t possible get worse, it did.” Kate said. “But now that it’s over I don’t remember the pain at all.”

“In Saillune there’s a potion they give laboring women that takes the pain away.” Amelia said. “I’m sure we could arrange for some of that to be shipped to Zefiel City.”

“Really?” Kate said, “How come it hasn’t spread over here? I imagine demand would be high!”

“The ingredients are rare and it’s very expensive.” Amelia explained. 

“The next time you’re pregnant I’ll give you some as a present.” Lina said as she clasped Kate on the shoulder.

“Thanks!” Kate said as she lite up, “It’s good to have connections!”

“So do the royals of Saillune also have a potion to ease the discomforts of pregnancy?” Lina asked.

“Well, we have the usual remedies for morning sickness and the like.” Amelia explained, “And luckily that stuff doesn’t run in my family. My mother said pregnancy was a breeze. No, when the time is right it should all be a piece of cake!”

“Are you married?” Kate asked.

“Newly.” Amelia said.

Kate’s jaw dropped, “You’re the Saillune princess who eloped! Goodness! How do I address you? Do I call you ‘your highness?’ Do I courtesy?”

Amelia waved her away, “Let’s just keep things simple. I’m at my friend’s wedding, I don’t want to worry about the formalities.”

“Right,” Kate said. “Good attitude. Not that your attitude needs my approval!”

Lina laughed a bit, “Relax. Amelia hasn’t ordered my head removed, and I’ve done far worse!”

“That’s reassuring actually.” Kate said.

“Hey!”

“Anyway, so are you fixing to get in the family way soon?” Kate asked.

Lina shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, the idea of creating something, of building something, lately I’ve been wondering if that’s something I can do. I mean, I can destroy things, it’s ridiculously easy to do that. Nothing still grows at the lake I tested my first Giga Slave at. And now, here I am, building a school, and I’m intrigued by that.”

She exhaled a little, “And then I’ve killed. Mazoku and bad people.” _And Luke._

But she couldn’t explain about Luke. “So I guess, after taking life, I’m wondering what it would be like to create it. But then it’s not as though I can create it and put it on a shelf when I get bored with it or if I don’t like what results. It’s a lifelong commitment. Even with a nanny.”

Kate smiled a little, “Trust me, when you see a little bundle that’s half you and half the man you love, you won’t want to put it on a shelf and forget it. You’ll be so besotted that even when it’s driving you crazy when you finally get a break it will take all of your will power to keep from running to your nanny to make sure everything is fine.”

Lina smiled, and then noted that her parents were approaching the chapel. She waved, “You ready?” Han asked as he reached the steps.

“Yes!” Lina said, “Let’s go inside and get this ridiculous rehearsal over with!”

* * *

Lina ran her hands over the deep purple satin and sighed. It felt heavenly beneath her fingers, even if she wasn’t quite sure how to walk with a hoop skirt. “What if I fall on my face while walking down the aisle?” Lina asked.

“Dad will keep a good hold on you. You’ll be fine.” Luna said as she adjusted the breastplate. It was made entirely of silver, with engravings of the sun and moon on it, and Lina couldn’t begin to fathom how much it had cost. While it certainly wasn’t functional as armor, it did make Lina look as though she was an archetypal warrior figure cut from the stories her mother used to tell her. 

“Here,” Kate said as she held up some white gloves, and Lina reached her hands out to put them on while Amelia brought over a purple velvet cape and wrapped it around her. Lina did up the clasp and drew the hood up.

“Where’s my sword?”

“You’re wearing it today?” Luna asked.

“I’m a fighter.” Lina stated.

Luna handed it to her, and Lina buckled it to her waist, and then she stared at herself in the mirror. “Wow.”

“You look so pretty!” Amelia said.

“Thanks,” Lina said as she moved, enjoying the way the skirts swirled around her legs. And then she frowned, “But between these heels and the hoops I still worry that I’m going to fall flat on my face!”

“Just take it one step at a time!” Kate said as she hugged her.

Someone knocked on the door. “Who is it?” Luna asked.

“It’s me.” Han said.

“Come in, she’s ready.”

 _Am I?_ Lina wondered as she continued to stare at herself in the mirror. Amelia, meanwhile, handed her a bouquet with white heather. Silently her father came in, and Lina turned around to greet him. She tried to say something but found that the words stuck in her throat. 

“You look lovely, sweetheart.” He said as he kissed her on the forehead. “You ready?”

Lina nodded, but didn’t trust herself to speak. Wedding jitters. How did she, of all people, have wedding jitters? Her father grabbed her gently by the arm and she managed to make it to the carriage without tripping over herself. Outside the townspeople were gathered and cheering, and somehow Lina managed to smile at them. It was still incredible to think that all of this was for her!

Her father got into the carriage and helped her in. Kate, Amelia and Luna climbed into the other side, and they took off towards the chapel. The butterflies flew in her stomach, but she managed to remember to smile and wave as they drove through the town. 

They finally reached the chapel, and her father got out first and helped her bridesmaids down. As they climbed up the steps towards the entrance, Han gave Lina his hand, and she took a deep breath. She wasn’t used to wearing clothes that made her feel so helpless and unable to navigate. It was a strange contradiction, because she did look like she was ready for battle. But the hoop skirt had already bruised her legs and the armor was tight and form constricting. Just walking down the aisle would be an ordeal, forget fighting!

Still, with her father’s help she somehow managed to make it out of the carriage. “You can still change your mind if you want.” He whispered.

She frowned, “Do I look like I have second thoughts?”

“No,” he stated, “But I just want you to know that you can turn around if you want.”

Lina thought for a moment. “I don’t.”

He squeezed her arm, “I figured you wouldn’t. I don’t think I ever thought there would have been someone good enough for you, but he’s as close as a man can get.”

Lina lifted her chin to keep from crying, “Stop talking so sentimentality. I’m starting to wonder if you’ve been possessed. It doesn’t suit you.”

But she patted his arm, and slowly they walked up the stairs. “You look lovely, Lina!” someone shouted, and Lina felt her heart beat faster.

Luna was at the door with her boys, who were the ring bearers. She indicated to someone that the bridal party was ready and the boys entered the chapel and out of Lina’s sight as the music started from within. Lina felt her mind go blank as Luna entered next, followed by Amelia, and then Kate. She was next! 

“Ready?” Han asked.

“Yes,” Lina whispered, and she was glad for his steadying arm as they entered the chapel.

At the dais she saw Gourry, dressed in sky blue and wearing a similar silver breastplate. The color brought out his eyes so that even from the distance she could see them dancing merrily as he beamed with happiness at the sight of her. Damn, but he looked handsome and gallant! And a calm settled over her. She was doing the right thing. There was no question about it.

She didn’t even stumble on her way to the altar. Confidently she passed the guests, the Ceiphied Knights, seated two rows from the front, and then the Eternal Queen and her mother and Gourry’s mother, seated in the front. And then she was there. Han gently placed her hands in Gourry’s and then he said, “Take care and protect each other.”

“We will. We always have.” Gourry said.

Lina smiled as the priest started talking. She squeezed Gourry’s hand. They were doing this! It was happening! Her heart was beating fast and she tried to take a deep breath to steady it. She was sure it would drown out what the priest was saying! But with the tightness of the breastplate it was hard to draw a decent breath.

She tried to take another deep breath, but felt as though she could not get in any air. Damn, why did they have to make women’s clothes so impractical? She took another breath and, was it her imagination, or was the blasted thing tighter? She felt as though she couldn’t get any good air in! Gourry looked at her quizzically, and she worried that she would suddenly faint. What was happening to her?

Suddenly people started screaming, and Lina looked in their direction to see people running for the door. It didn’t take long to find the source of the commotion, but what was happening made no sense. Luna was standing before the Eternal Queen with a bloodied knife! Lina tried to draw in another breath as someone yelled, “We’re locked in!”

Suddenly fights were bursting out everywhere. But, rather than helping the people, it seemed as though Lina’s parents and Zel and Amelia were defending people from the Ceiphied Knights. But then, as the world started to fade, it occurred to Lina that they had gathered every powerful person in Zeferia, and quite possible several kingdoms, into this chapel for this occasion. If ever there was a good time to attack those who fought with Ceiphied, it would be now, when everyone’s guard was down. But why would his own knights turn against them?


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the novels, the Ragna Blade is a spell that Lina isn't able to cast without magical amplification, as opposed to the anime where there are some implications that she perhaps could without amplification, though it wouldn't be as powerful and would be more taxing on her. Since this is novels, it does suck a bit, because since her talisman are gone it means that she wouldn't be able to use the Ragna Blade anymore. So hopefully it'll spur some creativity rather than relying on the Ragna Blade as ace in the hole spell that it tends to be in the novels.

It was seeing the bluish tint to Lina’s face that alerted Gourry to the fact that the tightness around his chest wasn’t due to his happiness over marrying her. Something was wrong! But whatever was crushing her was having a similar effect on him as he struggled to get more air in while catching her as she suddenly pitched forward.

His panic started to rise, exacerbated by his inability to force the air into his own lungs that would help him calm down. As if he didn’t struggle enough to stay calm when Lina was in danger! Gently he laid her on the ground as Zelgadis and Lantz started peppering him with questions that he couldn’t make out as the chapel erupted into chaos. 

Amelia had rushed to the Eternal Queen’s side and was casting a healing spell. Meanwhile, Lina’s parents were keeping Luna at bay, granted, Luna was more than a match for the two of them together and they obviously needed help. Harold had grabbed his boys and ran to a back corner and had hidden with them under a table while Kate had run with the other people to the front door, which wouldn’t open. 

Gourry felt himself grow dizzy and he feared it wouldn’t be long before he joined Lina. He grabbed the Blast Sword. It had to be the breastplates. They were matching and it felt as though his was crushing him! He didn’t know how it was happening, but he knew he had to get them off him and Lina.

Careful to make a shallow cut, he drew his sword along the left side of her armor, and then her right. Then he handed his sword to Zelgadis. Gourry tried to say something, but he couldn’t get the air in to do so, but fortunately the other man understood. Only once the cuts had been made, the breastplate still clung together stubbornly.

“Help us!” Zel called to Lantz, and Zel grabbed the armor from the back while Lantz did from the front as something like a magnetic pull tried to keep them close until finally they broke away. Gourry got in a good breath and then rushed back to Lina’s side.

She was completely blue now, the breastplate was still clinging together, held by whatever force had affected his. Adrenaline surged through him as he pulled it off, and a measure of relief washed through him as her chest rose and she took a breath. Seeing that they were safe, Zelgadis rushed to help Lina’s parents while Lantz soon had his hands full fighting one of the other Ceiphied Knights. Gourry patted Lina’s cheek gently, and then felt a shift in the air beside him as Lantz stumbled, and Gourry managed to bring his sword up just in time to deflect an attack from the knight.

Gourry defended himself, noting that the knight’s style was rather choppy. Was it deliberate, to lull him into a false sense of security? Or was there a reason for it? Beside him, Lina slowly got up, her expression dazed as she stared at the carnage around her, the same questions that were plaguing him apparent in her eyes. 

“Do you have anything up your sleeve?” he asked.

Lina squinted, and then cast, “Flow break.”

Simultaneously, the knights who were attacking stopped. Gourry watched as the one before him brushed her forehead and pulled off a diamond and crushed it beneath her feet. Gourry kept his eyes on her, not sure what to think. But then suddenly Luna screeched, “Guloisa Gabriev!”

Luna crossed the room so swiftly she was practically a blur as she grabbed Guloisa and hoisted her by the arms. “Explain yourself!”

The air changed menacingly as Lina suddenly put up a shield spell, and just in time, for a burst of energy that came at them. People screamed and started to duck under the seats for cover, and the fact that they were fighting with a lot of people in a small, enclosed space pressed down upon him. But he didn’t have too long to think about it. Soon he brought his sword up to block an attack from a young priest who brought his staff against him. 

“Blast Ash!” Lina cast as her spell hit the priest dead on. And if there was any doubt that her spell was overkill, it was absolved as the priest took the spell with barely slowing down as he continued to attack.

A Mazoku. And a fairly powerful one at that.

“You just picked the wrong wedding to crash!” Lina yelled as Gourry drew closer to her. Whoever this priest was it was likely that the best spell to use against him would be the Ragna Blade, especially as Lina couldn’t use many of her powerful Black Magic spells like the Dragon Slave because they were in an enclosed space. Yet, since Lina had had to destroy her Demon’s Blood Talisman in their battle with Luke, Lina could no longer cast the Ragna Blade. They would have to make due with the Blast Sword and whatever else Lina could manage, unless one of the knights would step in.

Gourry glanced at Luna, who had his mother subdued, but seemed to have no interest in helping. Neither did the other Ceiphied Knights.

He couldn’t think about it for too long. Soon the priest was talking, “It’s your own fault for picking a fight with Lord Dynast Grausherra!” the priest said, “Consider this your payback!”

“So you’re the derivatively named Grau I’ve heard so little about!” Lina spat, and Gourry held his breath as he hoped that Grau would be just as haughty as Sherra.

Grau’s eyes burned, “Lord Dynast Grausherra thought the world of me, and bestowed upon me his most honorable name! How dare you insult his greatness!”

Gourry exhaled. So Grau was haughty in a different way that would not be to their advantage. Lina, meanwhile, cast another spell, and for a moment Gourry was baffled as to why she threw her sword at the floor beside Grau, but then he’d realized she’d cast a shadow snap, making it impossible for him to retreat to the astral plane.

Gourry exchanged the briefest of glances with Lina. She nodded. He understood. He feinted, and still managed to bring his sword up to bisect the energy that Grau sent at him. He needed to get a good, clean cut just as Lina finished her spell. The timing would have to be perfect. But would the Blast Sword be powerful enough?

“Elmekia Flame!” Lina called, hitting Grau directly as Gourry managed to strike him in the chest. Considering how it had taken several of them to take Sherra down even with the Ragna Blade, Gourry was relieved as Grau shattered and turned to ash. The Blast Sword was indeed more than a worthy replacement for the Sword of Light.

But then he caught the look on his mother’s face as she saw what his new sword could do, and he felt something constrict his heart. His secret was out. But then if Luna had singled her out, hopefully she would be going to a dungeon soon, as horrible as the thought of wishing that on his mother was.

Lina grabbed his hand, and he turned to hug her, “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Fine. You?”

“Fine.” He replied.

They turned to look at the chapel. The Eternal Queen was awake and sitting up, and Amelia, Leia and Zelgadis were healing the other people who needed it. Fortunately it looked as though no one was lethally injured. From outside someone was banging on the door, calling, “Is everyone okay?”

“So that’s why a long ceremony was so damned important.” Lina hissed.

“Huh?” Gourry asked.

“If this ceremony was expected to last for hours, no one would have sent back up for hours.” Lina explained.

Someone managed to get the doors unlocked, “The Eternal Queen was attacked, but she is recovered.” The guard announced to the sentries outside.

“I have a prisoner for you.” Luna announced as she manhandled Guloisa towards the door.

“But my son is about to be married!”

“Your actions nearly killed him!” Luna retorted.

“I didn’t know it would happen!” Guloisa said, “Grau just paid me a thousand gold coins to decorate your head with the diamond and give you several more. I didn’t ask questions. How was I to know what would happen?”

“Who gives people money to wear diamonds unless they have some nefarious purpose in mind for them? And you think that absolves you of this?” Luna snapped as she brought her to the door and threw her to the sentries. “Throw her in a cell. We’ll deal with her tomorrow.”

Luna walked up to them, red faced, whether from exertion or from embarrassment was hard to say. As she passed them she whispered to Lina, “Well done.”

Gourry looked at Lina, but her face was impassive as Luna continued towards the altar, and then she turned to face everyone assembled, “If anyone else wants to attack, I suggest you get that shit out of your system now so the rest of us can continue with the day we have planned.”

The silence that fell through the chapel was deafening. After a few moments, and not a hint of blood lust, Luna asked, “Is anyone seriously injured?”

“Not that we haven’t already patched together.” Amelia said, somehow managing to stay composed even though her pink dress was covered with blood.

Luna nodded, “Thank Ceiphied. A few weeks ago, while in the carriage alone with Baroness Gabriev, she showed me some diamonds and claimed it was the latest fashion to wear them on your forehead. I can’t believe I fell for it. I distributed them to the other knights. Grau was controlling us like puppets, granted aside from ensuring our silence and pressuring Lina for a long ceremony, he didn’t have much to do until today.”

Lina bit her lip, and Gourry had a million questions, but did not feel as though this was the time to ask. Meanwhile, Luna continued, “Embarrassment aside, there is opportunity here. Till now my sister’s achievements have taken place outside of Zeferian soil. Least anyone doubt her abilities, or the abilities of her intended, then today will be the nail in that coffin. And let this put to rest every complaint about the money we are spending on them. If there was any doubt about the bond and connection that they share, the events of today should put that to rest.”

Around them people clapped. Luna smiled approvingly, “Everyone, please return to your seats. It would be a shame if we let the wedding crasher derail the wedding.”

A mixed feeling of nerves and relief shot through him. He hadn’t wanted to wait another day. Luna, meanwhile, swopped down and picked up the discarded breastplates that had nearly killed them. Why that had happened would have to wait. She placed them under the altar and then resumed her place off to the side. He looked over at Lina. Fortunately the clothing under the breastplate, while plain, was well crafted, and she still looked stunning. He needed to tell her, but the music started.

Gourry stood with Lina in the middle of the aisle, a very different set up than the one that they had started with. She looked up at him, and wordlessly they locked arms and walked back down the aisle together and strangely, even though it had felt right to see her walking down the aisle towards him, walking down the aisle together seemed even more right. When they reached the altar they turned to face each other and grasped each other’s hands, like it had been before. And suddenly he realized that he had an entirely new problem on his hand as the Priest Etto said, “Now that the day’s work is done, let us celebrate the wedding of Lady Lina Inverse and Sir Gourry Gabriev and the creation of their new family.”

 _New family._ He had insisted on the emphasis on the creation of a new family. It would allow him to divide the day between the beginning when his mother reminded him of every painful reason he had had to cut himself off and eschew his original family versus the latter half of the day, when he would became a part of a family he could be proud of. He had never stopped believing in the ideals of what a family should be, even if there were times that he despaired of making it a reality. And now with his mother gone, he was forging that new family with Lina. And the thought caused happiness so intense to unleash within him that it was all he could do to keep from bawling like a baby. 

He held to her hand tightly as the priest continued, “Those present today have been treated to a taste of what has made them an enviable partnership. Their exploits are the stuff of legend, and both have fought and sacrificed for each other. And now, they will pledge their vows to each other.”

Lina smiled, and he desperately hoped that he was making her as happy as she was making him. “Do you, Gourry Gabriev, swear to protect and love Lina Inverse as your wife for all your days?”

Gourry nodded as he made the declaration he had made in private several years ago public, “I do. I will protect and love Lina as my wife for all my days.”

He squeezed her hand as, for some unfathomable reason, he worried that she would suddenly bolt. Old ways of thinking that he didn’t deserve to start a family with someone surfaced, and it was all he could do to not panic as the priest continued, “Do you, Lina Inverse, swear to protect and love Gourry Gabriev as your husband for all your days?”

“I do.” She said, and Gourry couldn’t quite believe his ears, nor control the tears that leaked as she continued, “I will protect as love Gourry as my husband for all my days.”

He wanted to kiss her. But he’d not been told he could yet. And there was something he was missing. As the priest asked for the rings he remembered what it was. Zelgadis passed him a gold ring with an emerald surrounded by diamonds. He hoped she would like it. 

“Gourry, place the ring on Lina’s finger, and state, ‘with this ring, I thee wed.’”

She held her hand out, and it was shaking a little. Gently he slid the ring on her finger, and relaxed as she smiled at it. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

He held his own hand out. The band she had chosen for him was gold, and he could see that some words were etched onto it, but his sight was too blurry at the moment to read them as she put the ring on his finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.” she said.

“You may now kiss the bride.” The Priest said, and it was a good thing, because Gourry couldn’t wait another moment as he grabbed Lina and tried to convey everything he was feeling in the kiss.

It was official. She was now his family. He now had a family he was not ashamed of, but proud of. And it was because he was marrying the most incredible woman he had ever met, and she had agreed to have him! 

“We have now witnessed the birth of the new Inverse family.” Priest Etto announced as they pulled away reluctantly as people clapped, “May your days be long and filled with love.”

Lina smiled at him as the recessional music started, and then she grabbed him gently by the hand as they started to race down the aisle towards the door. They had done it!

As they stepped outside they moved to the right so they could greet the people coming out. “I love you.” He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

“You, too.”

“I should have made one more vow, though.” He said as he stared at her.

“What’s that?” she asked as Zelgadis and Amelia joined them, followed by Luna and Harold and then Kate and Lantz.

“To tell you more often just how beautiful you are.” He said. 

Her eyes widened as they grew watery as she found his hand and held onto it. “It’s not too late. And if you can make that vow, then I’ll vow to not knock you around so much.”

He squeezed her hand as the guests started to approach. “Deal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took the wording of the vows and structure of the ceremony from a translation of the Slayers Radio Drama which can be found here, with a few twists and turns that are all my doing: https://slayerstransl8d.livejournal.com/2008/06/29/
> 
> In the novels, Lina is a brunette, so her coloring is different from the anime, and as Rui Araizumi based her design off Aubrey Hepburn I figured purple would be a good color. Don’t get me on the white wedding dress stuff. That was a Victorian invention, not a medieval one. 
> 
> And emeralds are the best. They are the jewel of an enduring love, and since they appear to be in the bracelets I figured my own fondness for them (they are my birthstone and the stone on my own wedding ring (diamonds are ugly), and it’s my favorite color) wouldn’t cloud my judgment on having them in Lina’s ring. Well, not too much.


	15. Chapter 15

At the reception, all everyone could talk about was how amazing it was to see Lina and Gourry take down Dynast Grausherra’s priest. And while Lina was filled with pride over taking down a Mazoku in her home town and in front of her parents, she was also shaking her head over the ease with which it was done. If they had thought that was impressive they should have seen the battle with Sherra!

 

Still, she smiled to herself as she sat at the banquet table and dined on her sumptuous wedding feast. A string quartet had been hired to provide music, but it did not drown out the conversation buzzing around the gazebo. Even with the drama leading up to the wedding, the day itself was unfolding well. Even the unpleasantness with Grau had worked out to be a good thing in the end.

 

_I’d better enjoy this for as long as it lasts._ Lina thought as she looked around.

 

“Hey Lina,” Gourry asked as he took a bite of roast chicken, “How did the breastplates nearly kill us?”

 

“It was one of the Knights.” Lina explained as she sipped her wine, “They can channel their will into metals like silver very easily. They tried to crush us.”

 

“Wow.” He said as Luna came up behind them and then squeezed in to sit between Lina and Amelia.

 

“If it wasn’t your wedding I would hit you.” Luna said as she speared her salad.

 

“What for?” Lina asked.

 

“Not realizing something was up earlier!” Luna explained.

 

Lina squared her shoulders, “Somehow I’m not buying that you gullibly put that diamond on your head and weren’t looking for the opportunity to show Gourry and me off. You and the other Knights weren’t exactly bending over backwards to help us after I cast flow break. And I guess it was just lucky that the breastplates were silver.”

 

“Once we had the opportunity for you to show your skills I wasn’t going to squander it.” Luna defended as she blushed, “But that doesn’t mean I planned this. And if you would think I would put my sons in jeopardy then you are all too willing to think the worse of me.”

 

Lina hummed in resignation, “Fine, you got me there. No, you wouldn’t have put them in danger. But really, I’ve been gone for five years, and at your suggestion. How well can you expect me to know you, especially after you spent the first thirteen years of my life shocking me whenever you pleased?”

 

“I worked so hard to give you these nice things that I don’t have.” Luna pointed out.

 

“I earned my share of it!” Lina shot back, “I didn’t see you making the sacrifices to take down Shabranigdu, twice! And there are always strings attached. I know you well enough to know that this isn’t just a reward for a job well done. There’s some end purpose you’re manipulating me to, and so far you haven’t told me what that is. Or are you going to open up now?”

 

“No.” Luna said.

 

Lina sighed as she shook her head, “Making my point! This is my life, but it doesn’t feel like it when I’m around you. Where is that line between influencing me towards that you want and forcing me?”

 

“It’s always your decision to make.” Luna said cryptically.

 

Lina sighed. “Over the past few weeks, how much was you and how much was Grau?”

 

“He didn’t exert much control until the wedding.” Luna explained. “He made it impossible for me to let people know what was happening, and he made me put the diamonds on the heads of the other Knights. I had wanted you to have an elaborate ceremony to show how far our family had come, but I was prepared to let it go when your head got too big for your shoulders in the dress shop, and he took over then. And while I am mad that you went over my head to the Eternal Queen, well, it made it very easy for him to exert influence then. Anyway, now that I think of it, I’d better talk to Mom and Dad.”

 

Luna got up, and then put a hand on Lina’s shoulder, “I am very happy for you. I made sure the best hotels were booked throughout Zeferia. I hope you enjoy your honeymoon.”

 

Lina felt a little warm, “Thank you.”

 

“I also hope that you enjoy your wedding gift. The person who made it is a friend, and I can always arrange for more to be sent to you.”

 

“Well let me open it first before you go spoiling it!” Lina exclaimed.

 

Luna smiled, and then stooped down to kiss her on the forehead. Lina shook her head as she walked off. Gourry, unsurprisingly, looked confused. “She didn’t apologize.”

 

“She won’t.” Lina said. “She’s infallible. Ceiphied blessed her for a reason and so forth. No, I’m more perturbed that she still didn’t tell us what the rush is.”

 

“You don’t think she’s hiding something bad, do you?” he asked.

 

“It’s not that,” Lina said, “But I don’t like dancing on someone else’s string. And it’s too easy for someone with ill intent to take things over, as we saw earlier today.”

 

“Well, for now you should put all of those worries aside.” Amelia, who had changed into a fresh gown, stated. “It looks like it’s time for your first dance.”

 

“But I’ve not finished my dinner yet!” Lina protested.

 

“You can eat later, but you have to move these things along so your guests don’t get bored!” Amelia insisted.

 

Lina growled. “Hey,” Gourry said teasingly, “I’m starting to worry that you don’t want to dance with me.”

 

“Of course I do, but on a full stomach!” Lina stated as the violinist announced that it was time for their first dance and the music started up. Gourry held out his hand, and Lina took it, and without further complaint he led her to the dance floor.

 

Amelia sighed as she watched them. They were actually good dancers. It wasn’t a style you would find at the palace, but it had its own charm. Zelgadis put his hand over hers and said quietly, “You’re not regretting eloping, are you?”

 

“No! Why?”

 

“Well, it just doesn’t seem right that you don’t have your day in the spotlight.”

 

Amelia laughed, “I’m a royal princess. Every birthday I’ve ever had has been in the spotlight! And every birthday I will have in the future will be in the spotlight! Besides, in five years we can have the biggest celebration ever for our vowel renewal.”

 

He laughed, “I see you’ve thought all this out.”

 

“Of course I have!” Amelia said as she grabbed his arm and leaned against it. “Preparation is everything!”

 

“It looks like we can join in the dance now.” Zelgadis observed.

 

“Then lead the way my love.”

 

Amelia noted with some amusement that rather than leave the dance floor after their song had ended, Lina and Gourry were so besotted with dancing with each other that they stayed on for the next one rather than leave to return to their plates. By the time they had moved on to opening the presents their dinner had gone cold and had been removed. Yet fortunately the cake cutting ceremony distracted their attention from that fact, even if it didn’t fill them up. By the time the reception broke up and Lina and Gourry were taken to the inn where a honeymoon suite had been prepared for them, they were both heady with happiness and exhaustion.

 

* * *

 

_Why did I let Amelia and Kate talk me into buying this ridiculous thing?_ Lina wondered as she stared at herself in the mirror. The black lingerie had covered less than anything she had ever worn before, and while on the one hand it shouldn’t have been a big deal considering that Gourry had already seen her naked, she was also terrified that if she entered the bedroom wearing it and attempted to be sexy he would laugh.

 

_And I shouldn’t even be worrying about that! I have a bigger problem on my hands._ Lina thought to herself as she tried to stifle a yawn. Suddenly it made sense how she was able to travel with Gourry for so long without getting together with him sooner. Fighting Mazoku was exhausting, leaving little energy for carnal desires. Add to it the weeks of planning and the family drama, plus the hours of partying, and all Lina really wanted to do was sleep. Which would be a pathetic way to spend one’s wedding night. But it would be less pathetic than spending it in the bathroom because she was too nervous to go into the next room and show herself off to her newly wedded husband.

 

She took a deep breath and grabbed a chocolate from the box that Luna had given her for a wedding present and remembered how Gourry had cried during their vows and promised to tell her she was beautiful more often. Surely he wouldn’t laugh. And she knew he would be patient and gentle at least. She exhaled, popped the chocolate into her mouth and swallowed, and opened the door, and then froze as she saw him sprawled out on the bed asleep. She shook her head for a moment as she gave a small smile. _Looks like I’m not the only one who’s tired._

 

She walked over to the bed and crawled in bedside him without extinguishing the light. He instinctively wrapped her to him but stayed asleep. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again it was several hours later, and it was soon apparent that Gourry was awake and aware, judging by the way his hands were exploring the lacy material that covered her. She looked into his eyes, and found that they were filled with lust as he grinned knowingly, “You’ve been shopping.”

 

A rush of energy charged through her, and she was glad that they had both taken a nap. She now felt rested enough that having sex sounded like a very fun idea. “Do you like it?” she asked.

 

He kissed her passionately as his touch became more daring. She gasped and, with some difficultly, put her arms up between them, “Wait.”

 

“What?” he said, his voice heady.

 

“The flow break spell I cast earlier.” She said quickly.

 

“What about it?” he asked, his eyes trailing her body appreciatively. So appreciatively that she wondered if he was really listening.

 

“It would have returned my body to it’s normal state.” She explained.

 

He looked both confused and pained, “What does that mean?”

 

“It means…” she started as she blushed, “It means I can have my time of the month again, or we can make a baby now if we do this.”

 

He propped himself up on one arm as he looked at her, “Is that what you’re wanting to do?”

 

“Sometimes I think so.” She said.

 

He was silent for a moment before he said with a forced neutrality, “If it’s a sometimes things, then maybe you aren’t ready?”

 

“It’s just, I tried to cast the spell again when I was getting ready, but it doesn’t feel right to do it right now. But part of me feels that this is something Sis really wants me to do, and when that happens, it’s hard for me to tell if I’m doing what she wants or avoiding her punishments.”

 

“Has she said anything?” he asked as he focused his eyes on the window rather than on her and his hands started fidgeting with the sheets.

 

“She’s implied.” Lina said.

 

“Well, how did you feel before you got home?” he asked.

 

“Creating life, it was a power I wanted to explore after all of the loss we suffered. But I also didn’t want to be tied to home and hearth like most women after they have a baby. So, conflicted, really.”

 

“Well, now you know you can have both, right?” he asked, “Luna didn’t put that idea in your head. It was already there. And she provided the means for you to have a life after having a baby.”

 

“That is true. But I’d still be doing what she wants. And after today…”

 

“Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No. But we were attacked, at our own wedding ceremony! And just because you can make a baby doesn’t mean you will. I don’t want to go back to losing my powers for a few days every month again if this doesn’t happen quickly!”

 

He kissed her gently on the forehead, “In some ways, we’ve never been safer. We have so many friends here now, powerful ones. And you’re still strong even without your powers. When that Mazoku sealed them, you made it through all right. And you know I would die before I let anything happen to you.”

 

“I guess.” She said, but she couldn’t stop thinking about how the last time she’d had her period she had ended up hanging from a rope surrounded by her enemies. And it wasn’t a position she’d ever wanted to be in again. “I don’t like relying on others, though. It just sucks that I have to put myself in such a vulnerable position to do this.”

 

“When have you ever let that stop you from getting what you want?” he asked. “You know what I want. And if this is what you want then let’s go for it. But either way, please make a decision soon. Laying here beside you while you’re wearing that and having to talk about a serious topic is driving me out of my mind!”

 

She grinned deviously as she fingered the laces on her bodice, “So this is driving you wild?”

 

“I won’t complain if you buy a whole closet full of them!”

 

She gave her dilemma only a few more moments of thought. Surely she was overthinking this. When had sitting on the sidelines fretting ever gotten her anywhere? “Come and kiss me then before you explode.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Whenever I think a chapter will be easy to tackle, life proves me wrong. Between an influx of business and my computer failing to save some updates I'd made this little chapter was more difficult than anticipated. Wedding arc is finished, onto the honeymoon arc and it may take me some time to work out some plot points, or it may not.
> 
> Anyway, I got the idea that the flow break spell would nullify sterility spells from Anna Nimmie Tee's fic [Kind and Kind](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/1850074/1/Kin-and-Kind)
> 
> I also forgot to mention I got the idea of Gourry taking Lina's name from maidens-wanderlust's fic [It's (Not) Just a Name](https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11851668/1/It-s-Not-Just-a-Name)


	16. Chapter 16

“It is so beautiful here.” Lina commented as she walked hand in hand with her husband between the line of brightly decorated shops and the river. It wasn’t hard to discern the bright color of the umbrellas covering the tables on the patios of the restaurants that they passed in the night as tiny lanterns strung on strings hung between the businesses provided plenty of illumination. Even the trees were outlined with what appeared to be tiny light spells wrapped around them like lassos. All of it was reflected majestically in the river, and it seemed so magical that Lina didn’t even miss the fact that she couldn’t see the stars.

They had completed their meet and greets earlier during the day. Every morning the Eternal Queen’s aide, Aliciane, would brief them on who they would meet and what festivals were being held in their honor, etc, and once that was done they tended to have the evening to themselves. In some ways it was more grueling than their previous life on the road. Now they were on a tight schedule, and if they decided they liked a city they couldn’t stay a few extra days to explore it because they had to rush to the next city on the list. At the same time, they’d yet to be attacked, so in other ways it was more peaceful. Regardless, when Lina had left home she had not spent much time exploring other parts of Zeferia. Why bother exploring her own boring kingdom when there was a whole larger world out there and waiting? But now that she was traveling through Zeferia she was pleasantly surprised at how many interesting places were to be found so close to home. 

“Yeah,” Gourry agreed, the lights reflected in his eyes, “See anywhere you want to eat?”

“Too many places!” Lina said. “Are you craving anything?”

“Hey, maybe we should go on a gondola ride?” he suggested as one leisurely rowed by.

“Could be fun.” She agreed. “I wonder where they load at.”

“I think we’d have to cross that bridge.” He said, indicating a stone half moon bridge that was bedecked with intricate carvings. 

But before they could get there, they were stopped as someone asked, “Miss Lina Inverse?”

Lina felt a chill run through her. She recognized the voice! But it was impossible. Lina turned around and felt as though she had been punched in the gut as she looked at the woman standing in front of her. Gourry clutched her hand as his jaw dropped.

“M-milina?” Lina blurted out incredulously.

“I’m sorry,” the woman with the long silver hair said, “I didn’t mean to confuse you. People often mistake me for my sister. I’m Amina.”

Lina exhaled a slow breath and extended her hand. It didn’t occur to her to question if Amina was genuine or an imposter. She looked just like Milina! Her style of clothing was different, she wore a rather unremarkable dress and her hair was down. But she looked and sounded just like her sister. “Lina. And this is my husband, Gourry.”

“Congrats. I heard that it was quite a wedding! I hate to drag this up during your honeymoon, but I was wondering if I could talk with you about my sister.”

“Yes,” Lina said nervously as she worried about having to break the news that Milina was dead. “We were trying to find some place to eat, actually.”

“I know a good place, it’s not too far from here.” She said. “I heard you would be coming through when I arrived about a week ago, so I just stayed here and waited. I’ve gotten to know this is place a little as a result.”

Lina and Gourry exchanged a look, and then nodded. They followed Amina quietly to a small restaurant and went inside. None of them glanced at their menus once they were seated. Amina instead launched straight to business, “Milina wrote about you two. She had a lot of respect for you.”

“We had a lot of respect for her.” Gourry said quietly.

Amina gave a sad smile, “I could sense it when she died. Twins have a bond like that. I’d hoped that I was wrong, but then her letters stopped.”

“We went through her stuff after she died. She’d not left any forwarding address or any indication of where she was from, otherwise we would have contacted you.” Lina explained as she felt some relief that she wouldn’t have to break the news to Amina. “If you want to stop by our home in Maninstat in about two months or so I can give you her belongings.”

“I’d like that.” Amina said, “The reason I set out to find you, though, is because I need to know what happened. Not knowing is destroying me. My mom wasn’t happy about me leaving. My brother died years ago, and with Milina gone I’m all she has left now. But I needed to know so I tracked you down. Left home for the first time ever.”

“You’re quite a bit different from your sister.” Lina observed.

Amina nodded, “We were always complete opposites. It was strange because we look so much alike. My parents always said I talked enough for the both of us.”

The waiter came to take their order then, and when he left Amina looked at them, “Please, what can you tell me about what happened?”

Lina could feel Gourry’s gaze upon her, and for once she struggled to find the words. Slowly it came out, “We’d gotten caught up in yet another conspiracy. We had been attacked, and someone hit Milina with a poisoned knife. We could have healed the wound, but there was nothing we could do about the poison.” Lina grasped her cup, “It was so senseless. We were in Sellentia, and you’d think we should have been able to find someone there who could have helped, but there was no one at the clinic who could help us. One priest refused to help because Milina and Luke were working for a different priest. And that priest didn’t have the ability to help her.”

“But why? Why couldn’t anyone help her? There’s lots of healers in Sellentia!”

Gourry looked at Lina nervously as she said, “The man she was traveling with had something bad in his soul. Our enemies hoped if they killed her it would unleash it.”

Amina stared at her in dismay for a tense minute, and then she exclaimed, “There were so many times I wished I could reach through the letter and smack her and tell her to leave him and come home!”

She then burst into tears, and Lina looked at Gourry and hoped that he would be able to think of something to say. “Milina deserved better.” He offered quietly.

“I’m sorry, I’m creating such a scene.” Amina said as she wiped her face. “It’s just as you said, she deserved better. She had dreams.”

“She never shared them with us.” Lina said, “She was so quiet.”

“The whole reason she left home was because she knew bad people were out there and she wanted to stop them.”

“She never struck me as a justice do gooder type.” Lina said.

“I’m not sure she believed in that. And given what happened, where would it have gotten her? She just knew that bad people get away with hurting people, and you were either doing something about it or you were letting it happen. She didn’t have much time or patience for people in the latter group.”

“She seemed to have made quite the change in Luke.” Gourry observed.

Amina gave a bitter smile, “No one was surprised more than her. She wrote a long letter after she met him. He was working as an assassin and he took a liking to her even though she was a bodyguard for his target, who Milina described as a good man. In the end she talked him out of it, but she just thought he wanted to get into her pants. She was stunned as time went by and he seemed to change. She realized she was a good influence so she tolerated him. She believed her hard work would be lost if she ditched him like she should have. Please tell me it didn’t go out the window with her death!”

Lina felt her stomach knot. Breaking the news that Milina’s hard work had been in vain seemed cruel. Gourry stepped in gently, “The bad person won the battle, but Milina won the war.”

“What does that mean?” Amina asked.

“The bad person in Luke took over. But Milina had helped Luke to love humanity and the world enough that he couldn’t destroy it like the people who killed her wanted him to, and he ended up asking for Lina and mine’s help. He’s at rest now, and the world is safe.” Gourry explained, and Lina felt her eyes well.

She put her hand on his knee beneath the table and squeezed it. Amina looked at the table as she wiped her eyes. “I guess she got her legacy at least.” Amina finally said, “she would have wanted that.”

The waiter returned with their food, and when he left, Lina struggled with whether or not to ask the question at the forefront of her mind. “What were Milina’s feelings towards Luke? I asked her once, but she dodged the question.” 

Amina pursed her lips. “I guess you’d have to understand my parents. My dad was one of those men who liked the chase. When my mom gave him her love, he lost interest, and started chasing after other women. She worked so hard, bent over backwards to try to get him to love her again and he never did. So growing up Milina said she would never be like that, and the only way she knew to do that was to never give anyone her love. So she never knew the pain of being jilted, but she also never knew how good it feels to give and receive love while it lasts.”

“So there was nothing that Luke could have done to change that.” Gourry said.

“Milina was touched by how much he changed, but she didn’t trust it.” Amina explained, “She didn’t trust he wouldn’t return to his old ways if she gave him an inch. So she kept moving the marker higher and higher. She kept saying that at least it kept one assassin out of the business.”

“She did have him on a tight leash. I was impressed.” Lina commented.

Fortunately Amina smiled, “Well, she was the oldest, technically. She was used to keeping me and my brother in line.”

“I can see that.” Lina said as she started to eat her dinner. They spent the rest of their time talking about their memories of Milina and ended up staying so late that the wait staff was piling the chairs on the tables when Amina mentioned that she should be going. 

“Do you need us to walk you to your inn?” Gourry offered.

“It’s not far, but thanks.” She said, “I’ll be fine. Thank you for talking to me. It helps to know what happened, and it will provide my mom with some relief.”

“Thank you for finding us. We felt horrible, knowing that you didn’t know.” Lina said, and Amina leaned forward and squeezed her hands.

“I’ll be by Maninstit in a few months.” She said. “Take care.”

“You, too.”

Gourry grabbed her hand as they walked back to their hotel. The shops were starting to close, but the way remained brightly lit. “Just when I think I’m over it.” She commented.

He squeezed her hand, “Something comes up that brings it back. It’s good, though. Knowing her family doesn’t live with the unknown anymore.”

They walked in silence for a moment as she reached and then clung to his arm. “Damn! I forgot to ask her their surname!”

“That really bothers you, doesn’t it?”

“It does. I guess I’ll ask whenever she stops by Maninstat. Though, I guess I’m more bothered by wondering if I am a bad person if sometimes all I can think about was that I was glad it wasn’t you who died?” she said quietly.

“It makes you no worse than me.” He said, “It doesn’t mean we wanted her to die. It just made us aware of what all we could lose.”

“I never knew you could feel so many different and contradictory emotions at the same time.” Lina stated. 

“You feel, that’s the important thing.”

“I guess.” She agreed. “It is sad though. If Milina did love him, that she didn’t feel safe enough to express it. Do you think he would have left her if she had?”

“We can’t really say, can we?” he said, “They never had the opportunity to mess it up.”

They walked in silence for a little longer, and when she next spoke it was so softly she wasn’t sure if he would hear, “We do.”

But he heard. “We do.” He agreed. “But don’t worry, Lina. I’d never want to see what you would do to me if I took an interest in someone else.”

She glared at him out of the side of her eye, “Good, because it wouldn’t be pretty! And your ability to make time with someone else would be severely impaired!”

He raised his hands up in surrender, “Understood! If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you’re not someone to pick a fight with.”

He moved his hand so that it rested on her head, and she growled, “You know I’d wipe the floor with you, don’t you?”

He chuckled, “Understood.” and then he leaned in to whisper, “I also would never want to hurt you like that.”

She smiled a little as they got to their hotel and started to climb the stairs to their room. “But what if I mess up? What if I hurt you? I mean, we are so young, and we have our whole lives up ahead.”

He was quiet as he got the key to their door and opened it, “I think I spent so much time scared of messing things up between us that I wasted some time. But then I realized that even if you mess up, I care enough about you to make it work.”

She took a few steps and wrapped her arms around him. “If I do mess up, I won’t do it deliberately.”

“Me either.” He said quietly, “And it won’t be because I have a wandering eye.”

She smiled a little. “Then I care enough about you, too, to still make it work, even if you do mess up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While researching something for what was supposed to be chapter 16, I found myself wondering about Milina and why she traveled with Luke, and rather than writing a long fanfic that only 5 people will read about her, I decided to go with this approach instead. So the original chapter 16 is now chapter 17. I hope you enjoyed this interlude!


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some big differences between the novels and anime come in play with this chapter, and in some ways doing anime continuity would have been easier, but this is novel's. One big difference is that they never travel to the Outerworld in the novels. As for the others I'll get into them in more detail in the notes at the end because I don't want to give away plot points for this chapter. Read and enjoy!

Lina moaned as she rubbed her back and muttered obscenities under her breathe as she reflected that she hadn’t missed this at all. Two weeks into her honeymoon and she had woken to find that her friend had returned, a friend that Lina had never wanted to cross paths with again. She hadn’t missed the cramps, or the mess, or the irritation. And, most of all, she hadn’t being without her powers.

“What sort of stupid idea what this?” Lina vented, “Of course we wouldn’t get pregnant right away!”

“Cheer up.” Gourry said as he put a hand on her shoulder as he did his best to mask just how disappointed he was.

“Cheer up?” Lina shot back, “Oh, I’m so irritated right now I could…”

“Eat some chocolate?”

“That…that’s actually a smart idea.” Lina said as her tirade lost its steam. And then she blushed, “Actually, I need you to go and pick up some rags. It’s been so long that I’ve stopped carrying them with me.”

He shrugged as he handed her the box that Luna had given her. “Well, okay. But shouldn’t we ask Aliciane to do that?”

“No!” Lina shrieked, “Sis probably has ordered Aliciane to report all of this to her! She’s way too interested in seeing me reproduce. I don’t want this information traveling across Zeferia!” Gourry looked as her dubiously as Lina glanced at the clock and added, “And you’d better hurry before she comes to get us so we can sit through another long, worn out rendition of our glory days.”

He quickly decided that the best course of action would be to just agree with her. “Where do I get them at?”

“The general store should have them.” Lina said, and then she looked at him sheepishly. “You don’t mind?”

“Well, they’re clean, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. I’ll be back.” He said as he moved to kiss her before he left.

When he got out of the inn, he grimaced at the sand and heat. They were in eastern Zeferia, close to the border with the Desert of Destruction. Fortunately this was as far southeast as they were planning to go, and though there was grass, plants and cacti, it still reminded him too much of the Elmekian Empire for his liking. And between that and the fact that, with Hellmaster’s destruction the barrier separating them from the rest of the world was gone and who knows what was on the other side, he was already on edge worrying about what dangers lurked in the unknown desert. Meaning that in addition to being disappointing, Lina’s time of the month couldn’t have picked a worse time to strike.

Still, he reflected as he gazed at the mountains in the distance, there were more landmarks here than in the Elmekian Empire, which was renowned for its boring barrenness. And though it was still early in the day, as far as bad days went, he’d had far worse. If the delay of a dream, so soon after achieving a big one by marrying Lina, and being vulnerable in a dangerous land was what constituted a bad day now, then he was a lucky man!

He encountered no problems at the store, but when he got back to the inn Aliciane was sitting on the porch, regarding him curiously. “Early morning walk?” she asked.

“Yeah.” Gourry said.

“Without your wife?”

“She wanted to sleep in,” Gourry said, thinking that Lina just might not be paranoid after all. “We’ll be down for breakfast in a few minutes.”

And then he moved fast to get back to their room and avoid any further interrogation.

* * *

Lina moved her arm between her back and the chair as she listened as best she could to the mayor’s droll speech. The days they spent walking through the Zeferian countryside were bliss. But the days they spent being paraded through towns like prized horses were becoming torture. The novelty of listening to people wax poetic about her heroic deeds quickly wore thin. Especially now that her back hurt so much. She yearned to get up and walk around a bit to ease the cramping, but that would be frowned upon. She reminded herself that soon she would be back home, teaching and talking rather than sitting and listening, and gritted her teeth and endured the boredom and cramps as best she could.

By now Lina felt that every mayor in Zeferia just passed the same, worn out speech between them. There were odes to her bravery, odes to her smarts, odes to Gourry’s loyalty and steadfastness, and odes to their love. Judging by the way they talked one would think that her glory days were behind her and all that was left was for her to park herself on a display shelf and harden into a golden statue. The thought that her greatest achievements may be behind her rather than ahead was a depressing one, especially given that she was eighteen. Still, she reminded herself, the honeymoon would be over soon, and she hopefully would never have to do something like this again.

From beside her she heard Gourry snore slightly, and she jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow. If she had to endure this with her eyes wide open, he would have to endure it right there with her. He sat up straight, but fortunately didn’t blurt out anything ridiculous. The audience was another matter as a young man suddenly raised his fist and yelled, “Lina Inverse is an evil witch who destroyed my kingdom!”

Gourry’s mouth dropped as people in the audience started murmuring as the mayor stopped and looked out into the crowd, confusion written over his features. Lina straightened to attention as she saw a few guards move towards the man. “Excuse me?”

“Lina Inverse destroyed my kingdom!” he repeated as the guards drew closer.

“Wait!” Aliciane ordered as she stood up, and Lina regarded her and wondered what her game was as she stated, “Let the man talk and air his grievance.”

 _You’re really going to take him seriously,_ Lina thought as a hint of anxiety rose within her. She stood up and decided that acting cute was not going to work in this case, but she really wasn’t sure how else to go about this. And either way, she was not in the mood to deal with this. “Um, which kingdom was this?”

“So you admit that you destroyed more than one kingdom!” the man pounced.

“Oh, give me a break!” Lina cried. “I meant which kingdom are you from!?”

“The Kingdom of Ruvinagard! Remember now?”

“That your king was murdering children to create chimeras?” Lina shot back as people gasped in horror, “Yeah, I remember. It deserved to die.”

Aliciane smiled smugly as the man yelled, “Lies!”

“Inspector Wizer can vouch the truth for me.” Lina replied, but she noted with satisfaction that people were looking at the heckler disapprovingly.

“Inspector Wizer was the one making the chimeras! And he paid you handsomely to pin the blame on our good and noble king!”

Lina folded her arms across her chest, “That’s quite some fantasy you’ve spun. Get back to me when you have some proof.”

“I was there when you plowed through a mass of innocent townspeople!” a different man cried.

“What?” Lina exclaimed.

“Mane, remember?”

“Mane, that place that was worshipping Shabranigdu?” Lina snapped, “Tell me, do you worship that Dark Lord?”

“We were harmless villagers with no power! But you tore through us…”

“Xellos tore through you. In case you’ve forgotten it was my intervention that stopped him from leveling your town to the ground!” 

“Of course, it’s always someone else’s fault, isn’t it, Lina?”

Lina’s hands bunched into fists as a woman yelled, “You set fire to Galia City! You killed my children!”

Lina paled and started to shake as the woman’s punch managed to land below the belt. “No, I didn’t. Xellos set fire to your city.”

“You helped him!” she screeched, the agony raw, and judging by the looks she was evoking, it seemed that the third heckler was building a sympathetic audience that the first two had missed.

“No, I didn’t.” Lina said simply, even as the guilt tugged at her for being so stupid to have believed that Gaav’s minions were the perpetrators rather than Xellos. “Things get very confusing in a battle. Xellos is a master manipulator. He duped me good. Still, I did not help him set any fire.”

“Either you helped him or you’re not the heroine they are making you out to be!” the woman continued as Gourry put a hand on Lina’s shoulder.

“Has anyone here taken down a Mazoku?” he asked, and the crowd went quiet. “Then until you do that and make every decision perfectly, don’t be so quick to criticize.”

He moved to grab Lina’s hand to get them out of there, but before they moved he addressed the woman, “We are very sorry for your loss. At some point every warrior learns that we can’t save everyone. It’s never easy, and I’m sorry we couldn’t save your children.”

Lina couldn’t get a good read on the crowd as she followed Gourry off the gazebo, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from this town as possible. They hadn’t gotten far when she heard Aliciane say, “Ladies and gentlemen, we in Zeferia take all accusations against our native born heroine very seriously.”

Lina’s eyebrows hit her hairline as she and Gourry stopped in their tracks to watch as Aliciane continued, “If you have a complaint, please come and see me, and we will hold a public inquiry to investigate it.”

“A what!?” Lina exclaimed, but before she could get more information, a loud, screeching noise tore through the air from the east. She turned and saw a horde of demons coming at them from the Desert of Destruction! Gourry stood up before her and drew his sword. She drew hers, thinking that she should have waited until they were home at Maninstit before lifting the sterility spell. But it was too late to bemoan that now. Still, without her powers there was very little she could do against the demons.

“Everyone, take cover!” Lina ordered.

People screamed as they ran in panic, even trampling over each other to find shelter. Lina could do little about the demons, but she could do her part to get people safely to shelter, and she moved quickly to pick up those who had fallen before they were too injured and helped them get to cover. Fortunately the demons weren’t anything that Gourry couldn’t handle, and soon there was a pile of dead demons at his feet. When he sheathed his sword, people started to clap appreciatively as they emerged from their hiding places, and he shook his head modestly.

“Let’s go.” He said to Lina.

Lina started walking with him and then bristled as someone said, “She didn’t lift a finger to help! She must be taking all of the credit for all of his accomplishments!”

Lina reddened with anger, and Gourry glared at the person who had spoken. “What kind of stupid person would let someone else take the credit for their accomplishments? Lina did all that you heard about today. You just saw her on an off day.”

“Then why didn’t she use her so called magic?”

Lina and Gourry fumbled awkwardly as, from the podium, Aliciane asked loudly, “Lina, is it that time of the month?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lina isn't the wrecking ball in the novels that she is in the anime. She is very cautious about her spell use, and doesn't cast a Dragon Slave until the end of the FOURTH novel (which was loosely adapted to the Saillune family feud with Christopher and Alfred for reference point), and she won't cast it in towns and other crowded places, which limits her severely.
> 
> Xellos, on the other hand, is a lot more ruthless in the novels and did set fire to a big city and manipulated Lina into believing that Gaav's minions had done it.
> 
> Wizer is also very different in the novels and never tries to throw Lina in jail.
> 
> A personal note, I am nervous about posting now. My grandpa went into hospice yesterday and has a week left at most, and for those keeping track, this is the third death in the family in the space of a year. I also had the "luck" to be there when he had his massive stroke, and since it was just me and my grandma with dementia, I suddenly was tasked with coordinating his care and making medical decisions that I did not anticipate having to do. Writing keeps me from falling into bad thought patterns and from dwelling in a sea of anxiety and usually Slayers fandom has been a reliably positive experience. When my aunt died in January it wasn't. That person has been banished from my realms, so if you're reading it's not you. I just don't want a repeat of the crap that happened when my aunt died now that my grandpa is dying. So basically be kind. Read and enjoy. If you have something nice to say, feel free to share it and as always, you don't have to feel obligated to share it. However, if you presume to know how to write my stories better than me, now is not the right time to tell me and smeg off. Sorry to have to armor up when most of you have been so great because of one person, but I don't feel comfortable posting without this disclaimer. Thank you for your understanding.


	18. Chapter 18

“We can’t leave yet.” Aliciane said calmly as Lina and Gourry packed their belongings.

“We can.” Lina shot back.

“We’re not scheduled to leave until tomorrow.”

“So we’ll just get to the next town early.” Lina said, the aggravation thick in her voice.

“So because you got embarrassed you’re just going to turn tail and…”

“You announced to the entire town that I’m powerless and that it’s a good time to attack!” Lina yelled.

“We can’t show fear right now, or do anything that makes you look guilty.”

“I don’t exactly give a damn about how people in some god forsaken town in the middle of nowhere see me!”

“But doesn’t this make you wonder why here, and not somewhere more populated? This was organized. That three people with a grudge against you just happened to be here of all places on the same day…”

“This isn’t exactly the time for me to start investigating anything!” Lina groaned, “I don’t want to deal with a conspiracy right now.”

“Tough.” Aliciane said, “I asked the mayor. This town is so small everyone knows everyone. No one has ever met those people until they came into town yesterday.”

“Well, how much damage can they do here?” Gourry asked as he tied his bag up, “As you said, this is out of the way. It seems more like they wanted to shake us up while we’re in an unsecure region.”

“Which is why we can’t show them that they succeeded.” Aliciane pressed.

Lina looked at Gourry, and judging by his blank look it was safe to say that he was going to let her call the shot, “I do want to learn who sent them. But it’s not like we have the element of surprise here. They know who we are so dropping by for a little chat and saying I’m someone else to dupe them into dropping information won’t work, and I doubt that they’ll give me any information of use if I try to be straight with them.”

“They’ve already skipped town.” Aliciane explained. 

“Then I really have no reason to stay here.”

“It would make you look guilty.”

“I don’t base my behavior off what makes me look innocent or guilty!” Lina snapped. “If I did that then I wouldn’t have gotten half the shit done that I have!”

“And given people fodder to use against you?”

“Look, Lina’s not a saint,” Gourry said.

“Gourry!”

“But she’s not a bad person either. And she’s right about how sometimes when you’re doing the right thing, it looks bad.”

“That may be in your previous life, but you’re in a different arena now. Looks matter!” Aliciane countered. “It's why we’re doing the inquiries.”

“About those inquiries! What are those about anyway?”

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Aliciane said, “They’ll just go over the evidence. We have Inspector Wizer’s report, among other things. Your sister has been gathering data for years. It’s to clear you beyond a reasonable doubt. And it’s not that we think you did anything wrong, it’s more to make the kingdom feel good about you.”

Lina still wasn’t convinced, but she didn’t feel like talking anymore. “Fine.”

“You’re not going to bail on me?”

“If I were, do you really think you could stop me?” she shot back.

Aliciane smiled pleasantly, “But your sister wouldn’t like it.”

“Oh, get out of my room already!” Lina snapped as she walked over and looked out the window. A few seconds later she heard the door open and close behind Aliciane and she relaxed as Gourry came up behind her.

“We can still go.” He said.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to do. I wish Amelia was here so I could get her input. I just feel so out of my depth right now.” She said as she stared out at the view towards the Desert of Destruction and noted that the hills looked like they would be fun to walk through as the familiar wanderlust surged through her.

Gourry wrapped his arms around her from behind, clasping them around her waist as he rested his chin on her shoulder, their cheeks touching as he looked out with her. “We don’t have to go back to Maninstit you know. There’s still so much to explore out there.”

“But you hate the desert.” She said.

“I’d go if it meant being with you.” He said.

“There wouldn’t be any inns. We’d have to camp outside for who knows how long. And we don’t have the right supplies.”

“We could buy the supplies.”

She moved her hand to grasp and squeeze his arm. “And what happens when I stumble upon something I don’t want to deal with out there?”

“I dunno know. You tell me.” He responded as he squeezed her gently, “I only do what you tell me. And you just do whatever you want.”

“You’re being ridiculous!” Lina said as she laughed, “You know it would piss Sis off if I left everything and ran off to explore the Outerworld.” 

“What’s she going to do? She has two toddlers. She’s not going to be able to follow us.”

“Can you imagine? Sis fuming at home because we’ve skipped off and unable to do a damn thing about it! Still, out there, we’d be in for a world of trouble.”

“I’d be with you.” He said as he turned his face towards her and started to nuzzle at her neck as his hands moved up to her breasts.

She gasped as she closed her eyes, and let herself enjoy it for a moment before she said, “You know I’m kind of gross right now.”

“Shh,” he said as he gave her breasts a squeeze, “We have plenty of other places to explore.”

“Hmm,” she sighed as she turned to jump him, sending them spiraling towards the bed.

* * *

“Lady Lina, Sir Gourry,” the Mayor said as they stepped out of the inn. “I just wanted to thank you for repelling that attack. Being so close to the border has gotten a lot scarier lately.”

“Was this the first attack?” Lina asked.

“It was,” the Mayor said, “But it’s more concerning given that since the barrier fell we’ve sent out several parties to explore what was out there. It’s been two years and none have returned, and they were just supposed to be short, week long ventures.”

“Hmm.” Lina said as they started to walk to the restaurant. “What else are you worried about?”

The Mayor looked around, and then said quietly, “There’s some rumors from the Elmekian Empire about a few people who returned. Supposedly it’s called the Desert of Destruction for good reason. In addition to fierce demons, in some places the sand is so hot it can scorch you alive. Supposedly it’s impossible to survive. No water, nothing grows there.”

“Well, it was where Hellmaster Fibrizzo anchored himself.” Lina mused.

“At the same time, I don’t trust the stories. There are also rumors that the Elmekians found something powerful there, and they are spreading lies to keep other kingdoms away.” The Mayor lowered his voice and added, “Some are even saying that the Elmekians killed our scouting parties.”

Lina looked at Gourry to see if she could get a read on what he was thinking, but he looked as clueless as ever. But by now she also knew not to trust that look. “Well, Gourry here is our Elmekian Empire expert.”

“I am?”

“What do you think?” Lina asked.

“It’s possible.” Gourry said, “If there is some powerful artifact there, they would stop at nothing to seize it.”

“I’m sorry to burden you with all of this during your honeymoon.” The Mayor said, “But out on the border like this with the desert to our east and Elmekia to the south…”

“You’re the first in the way if anything bad happens.” Lina said as she waved him away, “And the first line of defense. Why hasn’t the Eternal Queen sent more people down here?”

“Forgive me, but I believe she’s been so busy with affairs among the kingdoms to the west and fighting Mazoku that this has slipped her notice. Everyone just assumes the Desert of Destruction is impassable, and that we have centuries to worry about whatever is out there.”

Lina tapped her finger on her arm, and then said to Gourry, “Hey honey, feel up to sticking around a few more days and then doing a flyby?”

“What?” Gourry asked.

“We can Ray Wing once my powers have returned. Get a lay out of the land, see if we see any human activity.”

“But that would put you in so much danger…” the mayor protested.

Lina waved him away again, “It’s nothing I’m not used to.”

“How long are you wanting to go in for?” Gourry asked.

“An afternoon, tops. Just long enough to get a feel for whether or not the Elmekians are out there. We won’t even touch the ground.”

Gourry shrugged, “Fine by me.”

* * *

“What bone headed idea is this!?” Aliciane screeched. “We’re supposed to leave for Eithne! We have a tight schedule to keep!”

“So send a message and let them know we’re going to be delayed.” Lina replied as she ate her eggs at breakfast the next morning. “Ensuring the safety of our kingdom is more important than our schedule.”

“But people are expecting you!”

“They can wait.” Lina replied. "Really? What's the point of being Lina Inverse if you can't be fashionably late?”

“Your sister will be furious.”

Lina shrugged, “Ask her if she can spare a knight, by the way. I have a feeling this little town will need one.”

Aliciane reddened, and Lina scoffed as she put her plate on the tray, “Look, just get out of our room already and set about the errands I’ve asked. Now get, unless you plan to take me on! Oh, and be a dear and set the tray in the hallway for me before you leave.”

“I’m not your chambermaid!” she huffed, but she grabbed the tray as she stormed off anyway.

Gourry muffled a laugh beneath his hands as he locked the door. Lina sighed and laid down on the bed. “Do you think your sis will be mad?” he asked.

“No, knowing her she wanted me to probe for vulnerabilities while I was out and about. And with a little luck she will send a knight. I’d feel more comfortable leaving this place with someone powerful to defend it.”

“It could be an outpost we send students to in a few years.” He said as he got into bed with her.

“For once, that’s a good idea. They can prove their worth here. Or perhaps we can deploy people around the border.”

“In the meantime, what are we going to do with our extra time here?” he asked.

“You mean this extra time when we’re not investigating danger or sitting bored out of our minds listening to some speech?”

“Yeah! What are we going to do with it?”

“Well, we’ve already seen everything in this podunk town…” Lina said contemplatively as she looked him over, “So I guess all that’s left is to stay in bed and screw each other’s brains out.”

“Oh!” he said as he lit up, “You mean what normal people do on a honeymoon.”

Lina laughed, and reached out for him, “Come here.”

* * *

A few days later, they set out into the fearsome Desert of Destruction to find that there was sand. And more sand. Occasionally Lina thought she might have seen something shift in the sand, but considering how common optical illusions were in the desert, she couldn’t be sure that she wasn’t imagining it, and she wasn’t about to set them on ground to find out.

“Be careful,” Gourry said as he scanned the area as they came towards a large mesa, dotted with caves along its walls, “There’s someone there.”

“Damn,” Lina said. “Is it an Elmekian?”

“We should turn around.” He cautioned.

Just in time to show that it was too late to do that, there was the screech of a spell being hurled towards them, and Gourry raised his sword and bisected it. Unfortunately it damaged Lina’s Ray Wing spell, and they went crashing to the ground. They quickly scrambled for cover as more spells rained down upon them. “If they have a powerful weapon, they aren’t using it.” Lina remarked as they ducked behind an outcrop of rocks.

“Are you complaining?” he asked.

“Just thinking outloud!” she replied as spells flew on all sides of them. “Cover me!”

“Right.” He said as he got up and slashed through the first spell that came out them. Not for the first time Lina thanked her lucky stars that they had found that weapon. Whoever was firing at them could aim!

They raced to the cave entrance, and Lina chanted as she stayed behind Gourry, who fended off the attack with his usual skill. When they reached the cave she cast, “DEMONA CRYSTAL!”

Fog rose, and then spread into an icy crystal web through the cave, ensnaring the people within. The attack ceased immensely as, from within, Lina could hear someone cursing their existence. Lina and Gourry peered inside and found the people within trapped and subdued. Gourry proceeded in cautiously. “Did you bring some rope?” he asked.

Lina reached into her cape and pulled some out. “Of course!”

* * *

It was late when they got back into town. Walking was a lot slower than Ray Winging, especially when they were transporting eight prisoners. “You’ve returned!” the Mayor exclaimed, the awe evident in his voice.

“Yes, and we found something interesting while we were there.” Lina announced as Aliciane came up with two women that she recognized as Ceiphied Knights from Luna’s restaurant. Lina also noted that they had recently changed their hairstyle to keep their hair off their forehead. “I see reinforcements got here.”

“Are they Elmekians?” the Mayor asked.

“Yes.” Lina said. “Better get them to the jail and interrogate them tomorrow. And take extra care with the ones who are gagged. They had three sorcerers in the group.”

“We’ll see that you pay for this!” one of the prisoner yelled.

“Whatever,” Lina said dismissively as the guards took them away, “Let’s see if I remember. Dava?”

“Correct.” One of the knights said, “And this is Sobelle.”

Lina nodded, “Is being out here going to be a problem? Because we’re going to need someone stationed permanently after what I found today.”

“I actually like this.” Sobelle said, “It’s pretty here. Gets us away from Luna and Harold.”

“Huh?” Lina asked as the women shared a chuckle.

“Sobelle is more powerful than Luna, and Luna doesn’t like it.” Dava explained.

“And Dava and Harold had a thing before he married Luna.” Sobelle added. “So I guess this is banishment.”

“Blissful banishment.” Dava said as she stared at the mountains in the distance.

“You have the opportunity to make a name for yourself with your exploits out there.” Lina stated. “I’m kind of envious actually.”

“What did you find?” the Mayor asked.

“Eight Elmekians in a cave.” Lina explained, and then she pulled some manuscripts from her cape, “With these.”

Sobelles took them, and her eyebrows hit her hairline, “Is this a treasure map?”

“Apparently Hellmaster Fibrizzo had a vault somewhere loaded with goodies. I didn’t get a chance to check out the cave they were exploring,” Lina explained, “But it’s here on the map. Should make for a fun adventure.”

“Please tell me you have a good reason to take these men into custody.” Dava said.

“They fired at us.” Lina said.

“And?”

“That’s…not enough? Fine,” Lina sighed as she pulled out a bag and threw it towards them. “It’s full of mementos from people from Zeferia.”.

“They’ll probably say they found them from a corpse.” Dava replied.

“I’m starting to see why Sis doesn’t like you.” Lina replied.

“Hey, I have to anticipate their response. I trust what you say.”

“As do I, I recognize some of this. This will bring some families in this town closure at least.” the Mayor said as he took the bag and indicated that he would be leaving. “Thank you.”

“I trust we’ll be leaving bright and early tomorrow.” Aliciane stated.

“Of course.” Lina replied. “But for now, let’s eat!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s the map of the Slayers world that I use for reference. Still glad this page is up after so long…especially as I suck at geography. http://www.inverse.org/e/bkg/world/geo2.shtml
> 
> Thanks for everyone who left words of encouragement last week. My grandpa died peacefully Thursday evening. It's been a whirlwind but I'm feeling better after a restful weekend. Stay wonderful.
> 
> Dava Sobel wrote a book about how a bunch of female computers at Harvard calculated the age of the universe thanks to Ceipheid variable stars (The Glass Universe). So while thinking of names for the Ceiphied Knights that connection came to mind for some odd reason (especially as I am 100% serious when I say I am dyslexic, was diagnosed age 8). Probably name anymore knights who come up for some of the actual computers. Not sure if HK named Ceiphied for these stars, especially considering how drastically the name spelling can change depending on the translation, it's likely a coincidence, but it amused me.


	19. Chapter 19

The incident at the border turned out to be the most excitement that Lina and Gourry encountered on their honeymoon. The hecklers disappeared as mysteriously as they had appeared, and Lina was able to relax and enjoy seeing parts of Zeferia she’d never visited before. Still, a sense of feeling antsy grew, and when she reflected on why she was stunned to realize that she no longer felt she was growing as a traveler, and that she was anxious to challenge herself in the new role she would be assuming by running a school and teaching. She was ready for the journey to end and to settle down to work!

Still, there was no rushing Aliciane through the remaining weeks. And Lina certainly couldn’t say that she wasn’t enjoying herself. All the same, when they finally reached Zefiel City early one afternoon she felt ready to roll her sleeves up rather than sad that the honeymoon was over. And while she was all too ready to drop Aliciane off and head straight to Maninstit, Aliciane insisted that they had to visit the Eternal Queen and be debriefed. Lina merely hoped it wouldn’t take too long. Fortunately, aside from events on the border, there wasn’t much to report.

“Aliciane had asked the hecklers to come forward, lodge a complaint, but they didn’t.” Lina explained to the Eternal Queen and Luna as they sat in the Queen’s private audience chambers. 

“Which lends credence to Scenario B.” Luna commented as she glanced at the Eternal Queen.

“Huh?” Lina said.

“We’d been speculating about the hecklers.” Luna explained. “One line of thought was that they were sent from the Kingdom of Dils.”

Lina and Gourry exchanged a look, “Well, you do have quite a few enemies there.” He said.

“But why?” Lina asked. 

“Revenge. To rattle you. Undermine confidence in you.” Luna listed, “And it’s also well known that outside of our borders they have been slandering you. They are doing their best to make you public enemy number one in the Kingdom of Dils.”

Something simmered within Lina. It didn’t feel fair. The Kingdom of Dils had been deeply infiltrated by Dynast Grausherra and his minions, who had even managed to kill much of the royal family. Lina’s hard work there had stopped Dynast Grausherra’s stranglehold on the kingdom. All the same, she could easily see how her actions could have been read as too little too late at the best, or at the worst, twisted into blaming her for Dils’ problems. Especially now that Maius, who could speak in her favor and held rank there, was dead. What that they say about no good dead…? She thought as she said, “But I have no plans of ever stepping foot in there again!”

“Likely it’s a move against my plan to train people to fight Mazoku.” The Eternal Queen explained serenely, “Especially since Saillune is joining our efforts and we have been in communication with the Duchy of Kalmaat about instituting a similar program there. When word reached Dils, they flooded the Duchy with propaganda about you.”

Lina bit her lip, “Which means that Mazoku are likely still controlling Dils.”

“It’s not conclusive.” Luna explained, “But it’s highly probable.”

“So with Dils to our west, who knows what to the east, and possible trouble with the Elmekian Empire to our south…” Lina said.

“Let’s be thankful for our alliance with Saillune.” The Eternal Queen said firmly, and Lina wondered how she could sound so confident when the situation did little to evoke the feeling. But then, wasn’t that what good leaders did? Hadn’t that been what she herself had done? 

“But why come to one event at the edge of the civilized world to heckle me?” Lina asked.

“That’s what we can’t figure out, and why we think the second scenario is more likely.” Luna said.

“Which is?”

“Some revenge, courtesy of Baroness Guloisa. That was the closet you came to the border of the Elmekian Empire.” Luna explained.

“But how would she have communication outside of jail?” Gourry exclaimed.

“For one thing, I suspect that the Elmekian ambassador, Carlton, is involved.” The Eternal Queen said, “These matters are complex. They always are. Carlton is fond of Guloisa, and she does have some powerful friends back in the Elmekian Empire, and they have been pressing for her release, and those demands are starting to carry some weight. Guloisa herself is a troublesome prisoner.”

Gourry’s eyes widened, “Well, she’s a troublesome person in general.”

“She claims to have information about what the Elmekian Empire is doing in the Desert of Destruction, information vital to our continued safety, and she says she will only give us this information if we release her.”

Gourry looked distinctly uncomfortable as he said, “Well, she likely does have information. She knows that information is currency and is good at positioning herself to obtain as much of it as possible, and it will be good information and she probably isn’t exaggerating.”

“But…?” the Queen prompted.

“But it would mean releasing her.” He said weakly. 

“We’ll still keep her under tight watch at court.” The Eternal Queen stated.

Gourry bit his lip and he fidgeted as he mumbled something. Lina’s annoyance flared as she blurted out for him, “In case you didn’t hear that, she’s already caused a lot of trouble here. Hell, even now that she’s in a dungeon you can’t stop her from sending hecklers to harass us on our honeymoon! Are you sure you can handle her?”

The room seemed to chill for a moment, and Luna stated, “I walked into her trap knowing it would be foiled. I just didn’t expect you to be so slow on the uptake.”

“Oh, you don’t really…” Lina started as she stood up.

“All humans make mistakes.” The Eternal Queen said loudly. “What matters is if we learn from them.”

Luna exhaled, and folded her arms under her breasts. “I learned not to even look at anything Guloisa may give me.”

“And perhaps,” The Eternal Queen added, “You should do something for yourself for once.”

Luna looked baffled at the mere thought for a brief moment before she looked at Lina meaningfully. 

Lina thought for a moment, and then looked at Goury, “She’s your mom. What do we need to do to protect ourselves from her?”

“Just know if she offers something, she’s going to want something in return, or have something up her sleeve. And now that she knows about the Blast Sword, she’s going to do everything she can to get it. Don’t leave her with the Elmekian ambassador alone, and know that she is going to find out every dirty secret anyone you send to keep an eye on her has and will use it to blackmail them. Oh, and don’t let her fool you into thinking she’s illiterate.”

“And if we’re smart about it, we can give her just enough rope to hang herself with.” The Eternal Queen added. From beside her, Lina noted that Gourry still looked nervous.

* * *

They had moved into a less hospital room to interrogate Guloisa, and Amelia had joined them. “Looks like you’re wasting little time getting straight to work!” Amelia observed as she sat down.

“Would you believe that we even were working on our honeymoon!” Lina vented.

“Well, what did you expect?” Gourry said, “Since when can you keep out of trouble?”

“Hey!” Lina said.

“Can it.” Luna said. “They’re coming.”

The tension thickened in the room as the guards escorted Guloisa in it. Considering she had been in prison, she looked well. But her eyes set on Gourry and burned, “How could you stand by and do nothing as they arrested me?”

Gourry said nothing as he stared at the table, but Lina shot back, “You tried to kill us on our wedding day! What did you expect?”

Guloisa folded her arms under her breasts, “I had no way of knowing that would happen. I was duped.”

“No one here believes that!” Lina said.

“But you believe her?” Guloisa asked, pointing a finger at Luna. “She stabbed her sovereign! Luna would have more reasons to kill her queen than I would to kill my own beloved son.”

“Oh for…” Lina said.

“Enough.” Luna interjected. “Our case against you is strong, as you well know.”

“You know I gave you the diamonds. But how was I to know that was Grau? I didn’t even know who Grau was, or that he was a Mazoku! Or what he was going to do?” Guloisa said, “You really don’t think I would have tried to kill my own son?”

“We’re not here to go retread this debate.” The Eternal Queen said, “We’re here to secure your release, under the same stipulations as before, provided you tell us what is occurring in the Desert of Destruction.”

“Can I see that in writing.” Guloisa said.

Luna handed over a document. Guloisa smiled. “Hellmaster had a device that could claim the souls of an entire city in mere seconds with the correct spell. They have the device, but they don’t have the spell.”

“Damn.” Lina said. “How close are they to finding it?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Guloisa said, “Especially as I’ve been in prison for the past month. A lot can happen in a month.”

“Do you know where this device is held?” Amelia asked as she stood up and pounded her fist on the table dramatically.

“With the Emperor, of course.” Guloisa said.

“We must get this device out of their hands!” Amelia declared.

“And let Saillune handle it?” Guloisa asked. “Convenient.”

“You are free to go.” The Eternal Queen said.

Guloisa stood up, and walked over to Gourry, “You don’t really believe that I would want to kill you.”

“It doesn’t matter what I think, does it?” he mumbled.

Guloisa bit her lip, and walked out. Once she closed the door behind her, Amelia cast a modified wind spell to muffle the sound so that they wouldn’t be overheard. “We need to gather the other kingdoms and let them know that the Elmekian Empire has this.” The Eternal Queen stated.

“And then?” Lina asked.

“We band together and demand that they destroy it.” Amelia said.

“And meanwhile they could find the spell and start wiping out cities!” Lina protested. “We need to act fast.”

“Are you thinking we need to go grab it?” Gourry asked.

“If you go in alone and are caught, it would be a diplomatic nightmare.” Luna said.

“Then I won’t get caught.”

“No.” Luna said.

“What do you mean no!? I do stuff like this all of the time!” Lina protested.

“That was before you were knighted, paraded through the kingdom, and given the blessing of the Eternal Queen to train others in your stead.” Luna shot back. 

“It would look as though the Eternal Queen sent you to steal it so Zeferia could have the weapon.” Amelia added.

“But they’d look bad for having it in the first place!” Lina protested.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Luna replied, “We have to get the cooperation of the other kingdoms so we don’t look as though we are doing this for our own gain. Then we’ll talk about organizing smaller missions. But it can’t be you.”

“I don’t want to sit this one out!” Lina said.

“You’re going to have to learn how to sit these things out. Luna’s right, you are too famous now.” The Eternal Queen said. “And you’ve done more than enough on the battlefield. Now you will train others and watch them do this.”

“But I haven’t trained anyone yet!”

“So it’s better that this be your first time, before it’s a student that you are attached to.”

The Eternal Queen’s words hit her like ice water as she found herself wondering just what she had gotten into. While it was true that after she’d had to kill Luke she’d wanted someone else to make the hard decisions, but she’d thought that person would be older and wiser. Not a younger, less cynical version of herself. 

“Fine,” she said quietly, “If I may be excused, it’s been a long trip and we’re anxious to get home.”

“Of course.” The Eternal Queen said, “Have a safe trip back home.”

* * *

As they walked to Amelia’s carriage, Luna asked, “You don’t want to stay for dinner before you leave?”

“Another night,” Lina said. “You know how it is after a long trip.”

Luna smiled wistfully, “It’s been so long since I took you on your first trip out of Zeferia.” 

Something about the tone of her voice, coupled with what the other knights had said at the border, prompted Lina to ask against her better judgment, “I know this is personal. But are you happy?”

“I’m building a legacy.” Luna stated quickly, “Everything I do is to ensure the success of the gods and to rid the world of Mazoku. Whether or not I’m happy doesn’t matter.”

“Oh,” Lina replied, “But what’s the point if you don’t get to enjoy yourself along the way?”

Luna ruffled her hair and said, “That’s why I give you the leeway that I do.”

Aggravation rushed through Lina. “You let me?”

“I’ll stop by before the school starts in two weeks. You will have twenty-two students. Mom and Dad are fully briefed on the details, and most of the preparations are in place.”

“Twenty-two students!?” Lina exclaimed.

“You mean there are that many exceptional children in the kingdom?” Gourry added.

Luna smiled, “Lina knows, but I doubt you do. Like I have a fragment of Ceiphied in my soul, the Eternal Queen has a fragment of Aqualord Ragradia in hers.”

“So she’s as powerful as you?” Gourry asked.

“Well, it depends on how you measure it.” Luna explained. “Ragradia is Ceiphied’s subordinate, so I can channel more power. However, the Eternal Queen was born with almost the entirety of knowledge that the Claire Bible has. I was born as ignorant as the next baby. Suppose a novice was born wielding the Blast Sword. That would be me. But then suppose a different person was born with a regular sword, but with the knowledge of an expert swordsman and knowing how to cast spells like Astral Vine. Who would win? Because of the knowledge compared to the ignorance of the novice, it would be the latter. That’s the difference between the Eternal Queen and me, and it’s why she spends so much time mentoring me. And even with all she has shared, there is still much I do have to learn.”

“Wow.” Gourry said.

“What made her more powerful is her rank.” Luna continued as they reached the carriage, “Most common people wouldn’t have the resources she has to find and recruit talent. There’s a reason heroes and legends hail from Zeferia in greater numbers than other countries. She manages the kingdom in such a way as to ensure that it happens.”

“I guess there’s one thing I don’t understand.” Gourry said as the footman opened the door to the carriage and waited for them to get in.

“Nothing new there.” Lina smirked as the other looked at him expectedly.

“If there are so many powerful people in Zeferia, more powerful than Lina even, then why do so many of you stay here? And why did you send Lina out into the world?”

Lina’s hand curled into a fist as she itched to hold her Gourry hitting slipper, and then thought regretfully that she had burned it after vowing to treat him better at their wedding. But right then, she almost didn’t care!

“I didn’t send Lina into the world, she chose to go.” Luna clarified.

“But you can’t say it isn’t what you wanted.”

“Gourry.” Lina said, her voice low.

“It’s not that I’m complaining!” he said quickly, “Meeting Lina was the best thing that ever happened to me! But it doesn’t make sense to send your weakest…”

Lina screamed as she flew into the carriage, “You can walk home!”

Gourry looked a little sheepish as Luna drummed her fingers on her arms as she thought, “Duty is noble, but someone bound to duty is drawn to causes to die for. And that goal, death and destruction, that’s in line with what the Mazoku want, ironic as it may be at times. Look at Luke. We needed to send someone who loves living into the world, because people who love living will fight that much harder and smarter to keep on living. And that is the opposite of what the Mazoku want, and it is its own source of power.”

“Oh,” Gourry said, “So if by some measures the Eternal Queen is more powerful than you because she’s smarter than you…”

“Excuse me?” Luna said.

Despite the dangerous edge to her voice, Gourry kept going, “Then by some measures is Lina more powerful than you because she fights because she’s selfish and likes living while you fight for duty?”

Luna’s hair stood on end as energy pulsed through her, and her hand moved to her waist. Lina’s eyes hit her hair line as she watched from the carriage and then yelled, “Gourry, Amelia, if you value your lives get in NOW!” 

“Good seeing you!” Gourry said, and then he quickly followed Amelia into the carriage as they took off towards Maninstit.

Luna screamed as they retreated, “You’d better run! Don’t you dare even think of coming back for a month!”

Lina shook her head as Amelia giggled while Gourry smiled sheepishly, “Yeah, it’s going to take her awhile to calm down from that one.” She then gave Gourry the side eye, “I’m not sure if I should hit you or kiss you.”

He leaned towards her and whispered something in her ear that caused her to blush. “I didn’t hear anything.” Amelia sang.

Lina shook her head and sighed as Gourry asked, “Is who is more powerful than who really that big of a thing here?”

“Isn’t it anywhere?” Lina asked.

“Not among women, or at least, not in this way.” Amelia said, “At Saillune and other courts I’ve visited it’s about who has the prettier clothes and can get the richest, most titled husband. Not that it’s much better with the men. Neither my sister or I can inherit the thrown in Saillune, and you know how difficult it is for a woman to have real power anyone outside of Zeferia.”

“Huh?” Lina said, “I thought your sister would be the next queen.”

“Only if she marries a king. All the same, it’s as though since this is one of the few places where a woman can influence the government, the competition is fierce. After Luna’s mistake with the wedding plenty were ready to say that she wasn’t mature enough for the responsibilities placed on her, or that she may be powerful but doesn’t have the smarts to back it, so she’s a bit on the defensive right now, especially with justifying the cost of everything the wedding and the school and all that.”

“Oh.” Gourry said soberly.

Lina took a deep breath, “So I guess this means that the pressure is on to prove that the school is worth the investment.”

Amelia nodded, “Precisely.”


	20. Chapter 20

Riding by carriage was much faster than walking, and unlike other carriages Lina had been in, Amelia’s was actually comfortable! All told, when her manor appeared in the window Lina was in a very good mood. All she needed now was the assurance that dinner would be ready. As she stepped out and got a few steps towards her mansion,  Gourry came up behind her and swooped her up and off her feet. She laughed a little as she wrapped her arms around him, “You already did this once.”

 

“But it’s official now.” Gourry said as Jeeves opened the door for them. Then he whispered in her ear, “And I get to feel you up. You don’t mind?”

 

“No, I’m not complaining.” She said as Amelia came up behind them as they crossed the threshold, and Lina felt relief was through her, “And it’s better this time. No melancholy burst from the Sad Lady!”

 

“Welcome home, my lady.” Jeeves said, “I will go to the carriage and take your bags. Alona will unpack. Nellie almost has dinner ready, you’re just in time if you want to clean up and wait in the dining room.”

 

“Thank you.” Lina said, still marveling at not having to do any of this for herself as Gourry sat her down.

 

“Oh, your mom found some interesting information on the Sad Lady while she was going through the old library.” Amelia said.

 

“Oh?” Lina said.

 

“I’ll let her share it over dinner. I’m going to find Zel and let him know we’re home.”

 

“See ya in a bit,” Lina said as Amelia raced off down the hallway. Lina put her hand on her stomach as she started to walk to the dining room, “I’m so hungry!”

 

“Me too!”

 

“I wonder what’s on the menu.” Lina said as they entered the dining room.

 

He wrapped his arms around her from behind and brushed her hair from her neck and leaned down to nuzzle on it. “Hope you don’t mind if I snack a bit before dinner.”

 

She grasped his hands as she smiled, “What makes you think I’ve forgiven you for earlier?”

 

“It’s your loss too if I stop!” he pointed out.

 

“For once, you make a good point.” She said as she turned around and wrapped her arms around him as she reached her face up to kiss him.

 

He lifted her up a bit, and then sat her on a counter to make their height difference less of an obstacle as he moved his kisses down to nuzzle at her neck, before pulling away abruptly as he whispered, “Your parents are coming.”

 

“How do you do that?” she asked as she hopped off the counter and straightened her shirt.

 

Gourry shrugged, “Do you give a lot of thought to how you know things? I just do.”

 

“I’m not complaining.” Lina said as she finally heard the footsteps he’d already discerned, “It’s saved our asses plenty of times. But your senses are superhuman!”

 

Before he could respond, Han and Leia walked in, trailed by Zel and Amelia.

 

“Welcome back!” Leia said as she hugged Lina.

 

“So the honeymoon is over and you’re ready to work?” Han asked.

 

“Never stopped working really.” Lina said, her voice trailing off as she saw the look on Amelia’s face. “You okay?”

 

“Oh, I just got a letter from my daddy.” Amelia said as she sat at the table.

 

“Is Phil okay?” Lina asked as one by one everyone joined Amelia at the table.

 

“He’s fine.” She said, her voice unusually dejected as she added, “It’s just that he’s getting married.”

 

“Oh!” Lina said as she turned a little blue. “They found someone willing to go through with it?”

 

“Oh, Daddy was a valuable prize on the marriage market! Every month he was flooded with offers. I mean, he’s the Crowned Prince of Saillune!” Amelia said, and Lina had to bite down that no one who made those offers must have ever laid eyes on him, “So it wasn’t for lack of interest that he never remarried. It was because of me. He didn’t want to risk putting me under the charge of a stepmother who didn’t have my best interests at heart. But now that I’m married he bowed to pressure.”

 

“But your sister isn’t married.” Zelgadis said.

 

Amelia chuckled a little, “If you’d met Gracia you would understand. Sis can take care of herself. I’m the youngest and Daddy was always so protective of me.”

 

“So who’s the lucky princess?” Leia asked.

 

_You wouldn’t think she was lucky if you’d ever seen him!_  Lina thought.

 

“She’s a duchess from one of the smaller kingdoms in the Alliance of Coastal States. I’ve never met her, but he says it will be a good opportunity to expand the program we are doing for training Mazoku hunters to the Coastal States.”

 

“You don’t sound too happy about it.” Zelgadis pointed out.

 

“It was to be expected, I guess.” Amelia said, “And I bet he’s been so lonely since I left. I’m just being silly, really. I hate the thought of his affection being shared with others, and the affection any children I produce being split among new siblings. It’s selfish of me, really.”

 

Jeeves came in with the wine. _Thank goodness._ Lina thought, _I don’t think I can stomach this talk of Phil’s affection without it!_

 

“When is the wedding?” Han asked.

 

“I’ll be leaving tomorrow, actually. I’ll be back before the school opens, though it will be close.”

 

“That’s fast.” Lina said.

 

“Oh, people in Saillune are wanting to see him married and producing heirs as quickly as possible!” Amelia explained.

 

Lina didn’t think she couldn’t stomach anymore talk of Phil producing heirs, especially as she did want to eat her dinner, so she turned to her mom and asked, “What did you find out about the Sad Lady?”

 

* * *

  


 

“That poor woman.” Lina said once she was alone with Gourry in the seclusion of their room.

 

“Well, looks aren’t everything.”

 

“There’s a difference between someone who looks plain or even a little unattractive, and then there’s someone who is just purely repulsive.” Lina said as she walked to door to the balcony.

 

He followed her as she opened the door and walked out. “Phil is a decent man at least. He’d treat his wife well. I mean, if one of my sisters had to marry him I wouldn’t worry too much.”

 

“You have sisters?” Lina asked.

 

He looked uncomfortable, as though he wished he hadn’t brought it up. “Three.”

 

“They still in Elmekia?” Lina said as she stared at the view.

 

“As far as I know.” He replied as he leaned against the railing.

 

“Any of them close to the Emperor?”

 

“Why are you asking.”

 

Lina put her hand on her stomach. “Hellmaster’s device. This bug in my gut won’t rest until it’s out of his hands.”

 

Gourry instantly became quiet and stony. “Out with it, Gourry.” She said.

 

He shook his head, “The Eternal Queen was very firm about our orders.”

 

“I can live with a displeased queen more easily than I can with a city whose inhabitants are annihilated because I did nothing!”

 

“We got the information about what the Elmekian Empire was doing to Zefiel City. And we alerted them to weaknesses on the border. Just because we’re not on it doesn’t mean that no one is on it.”

 

“But I’m not on it, so I don’t know how it is progressing.” She said.

 

“And you don’t know how ugly these situations can get, from a diplomatic viewpoint. You heard Amelia.”

 

“I can’t believe you’re not going to back me!” she said.

 

He bit his lip. “I’ll back you. I’ll never let you set foot in there alone. And you maybe right, and the Eternal Queen maybe wrong. But Lina, we can’t be everywhere. Everything I know about the workings of the Elmekian Empire and who the Emperor’s favorites are is way out of date. I don’t even know which residence he’s in right now. We’d be going in against orders, without a plan, and without enough information, and if we’re caught, it would be a diplomatic nightmare.”

 

Lina leaned forward on the banister. He was right, and she hated that he was right. He put a hand on her back, “You want to spar?”

 

“Huh?” she asked.

 

“We’re going to have students in two weeks, right?”

 

“Well, yeah.”

 

“And you have some pent up frustration.” He said, “You’ve not even sneaked out to attack bandits since we got to Zeferia.”

 

She chuckled, “Oh, bandits don’t come into the kingdom. The Eternal Queen manages the kingdom so well they don’t even think about it.”

 

“Oh,” he said, as though a light spell had gone off in his brain. “Well, we need to keep our skills sharp and practice teaching them to someone else. So why don’t we go down and spar for a bit? I can sharpen your sword skills, you can teach me a spell.”

 

She laughed, “Well, if I can teach you a spell with your memory, then I can teach spell to anyone. You’re on!”

 

* * *

  


“Lighting.” Gourry said, and a ball of light appeared in his hand. He smiled a little as he released the spell and it lit the darkening sky as the sun set.

 

“Well, it looks as though you do have a magical bone in your body.” Lina said as she patted him on the arm.

 

“I just don’t know how you memorize all of that.”

 

Lina laughed, “If you think that was a lot of work, you should see the chant for the Dragon Slave!”

 

“I hear it.”

 

“Well, I guess if I can’t fathom your sensory abilities, then my ability to memorize should be just as unfathomable to you. It’s all fair. Though…” she said contemplatively, “Perhaps if I focus on mnemonics it might be good for those with high magical capacities but poor memories. I just never bothered because memorization was the easy part for me.”

 

“It’s good we did this, then.” He said. “Occasionally I come up with a good idea.”

 

“Only occasionally.” She said as she gently pushed him.

 

“Let’s get the wooden practice swords out.” He said.

 

Internally, she groaned. While she had been wanting to vent frustration, she preferred to do it on people weaker than her. And sparring with Gourry reminded her too much of how much she sucked at swordplay. And she was always so sore after going a round or two with him.

 

Still, once they put the wooden swords away, she had to admit, she was glad she’d done it. As they weren’t on the road and in imminent danger, he’d held back, allowing her to get her energies out and step up her game but not leaving her wiped. Still, she rubbed her arms as they walked back to the manor.

 

“Aren’t you glad that we have that large tub now?” he asked.

 

“Hmm,” she said, “And we actually have piped hot water!”

 

He wrapped an arm around her, “I’ll even rub your back!”

 

She reached around to hug him, “Sold.”  
  


* * *

  


In the time Lina and Gourry had been gone, the downstairs portion of their manor had been transformed into a school. There were two dormitories, two classrooms, a dining area for the children, a room for recreation, and of course, the room the Sad Lady haunted (and that Lina was now sure would continue to haunt for some time).

 

With the physical changes in place, Lina and the others were free to attend everything else. There were lesson plans to write, information on the students that Luna had compiled to review, two libraries to catalogue, and missives to keep on top of. Lina had thought that sitting out on the action would be hard, but the fact was she was so busy she didn’t have too much time to think about it.

 

“Saillune and several of the other countries are banding together with Zeferia to put the pressure on the Elmekian Empire to give up the weapon.” Amelia explained over dinner the day she returned from Saillune for her father’s wedding. It was also the day before the school was set to open. “And Saillune, Zeferia, the Duchy of Kalmaart and several other countries are forming an expedition to go and take the device from them.”

 

“Any idea who will be in that expedition?” Lina asked.

 

“One of the Ceiphied Knights. The person they are sending for Saillune is a guard I would trust with my life.” Amelia said. “Not sure about the people from the other places though.”

 

“And hopefully, when the next big thing goes down, it will be the graduates from our school who will be going.” Lina said.

 

* * *

  


Lina watched from her office as the wagons carrying her students approached, and she took a deep breath. Luna had been housing them at an inn in Zefiel City as they arrived and then, after likely giving them a stern talking to about the horrors that would befall upon them if they disappointed their country, had packed them up and sent them to Maninstit. “They look so young.” Gourry commented as he stared out the window.

 

“Many are younger than I was when I left home.” Lina said incredulously, “Though some are the age I was then.”

 

“Well, it will still be awhile before they graduate.”

 

“If life doesn’t intervene before then.” Lina said as she rubbed her back.

 

“What do you mean?” he asked as the children started climbing out of the wagon and entered the manor.

 

“Take your pick.” Lina said, “Between Dils and the Elmekian Empire, versus just plain old Mazoku hijinks, the peace we enjoy now could be history tomorrow.”

 

He wrapped his arm around her. “This is really worrying you.”

 

Lina looked back out the window. “Most people that young don’t know what sacrifice and loss is. So on the one hand, they’re the perfect people to do this work. Fearless and convinced of their invincibility. I mean, if I hadn’t defeated Shabranigdu by the time I was fifteen, well, it wouldn’t have been something I could do for the first time now. I’d flinch. It’s a short window of development, being old enough to be strong and powerful and smart enough, and young enough to be so daring and reckless.”

 

Someone knocked on the door. “Come in.” Lina said.

 

Jeeves opened the door. “They’re waiting for you, my lady.”

 

“Thanks.” Lina said as she straightened her robes. “You ready?”

 

Gourry took her hand, and quietly they walked down the hall. Soon they were joined by Zel, Amelia, Leia and Han as they walked down the stairs and stopped outside of the main classroom, where the children were currently seated, the sounds of their whisperings carrying through the hallway. Lina squared her shoulders and entered the room and walked to the podium, silence following in her wake.

 

She turned to face her students, eleven boys and eleven girls between the ages of ten and thirteen, and began, “Welcome, to the opening year of Luke and Milina’s School of Sorcery and Swordplay. I am Dame Lina Inverse, sorceress supreme, slayers of two fifths of the Dark Lord Shabranigdu as well as Hellmaster Phibrizzo, among others, and is there something you would care to share with the rest of us?”

 

Lina glared at a young blonde girl who was whispering to a redheaded girl with braided pigtails beside her. The blonde stared at Lina completely unperturbed as she said sardonically, “I’m sorry, ma’am, I just thought that given your accomplishments, you’re rather tiny.”

 

Lina heard a few people snicker as she drummed her fingers against her arms. What was it her mother had said about girls this age? “What’s your name?”

 

“Maeve Connacht.” She replied.

 

Lina smiled, “Well, Maeve, you just volunteered to be the first to pair against me on the sparring fields tomorrow.”

 

Maeve went a little pale as some of the people around her laughed. Lina glared at them and a hush fell over the classroom. Once she was sure that she had everyone’s attention she continued, “Three years ago I proved it was possible for a human to destroy Shabranigdu. And now I, along with my team, many of whom have fought beside me, are going to train you to do what I did. But let me caution you, it’s not easy. It takes a lot of hard work, grit, smarts, and the belief that you can succeed. But it’s doable.”

 

The room was silent as the kids looked at her. Lina felt strange looking back at them. Especially when she considered that she wasn’t even a decade older than them! “Let me take a moment to introduce our faculty. My husband, Sir Gourry Inverse, will instruct you in swordplay.”

 

Gourry smiled warmly as he walked in and took a seat close to the podium. “Zelgadis, Duke of Tealblu will teach courses on Shamanist Magic, Reading Runes and Ancient Scripts, and Potions.”

 

Zelgadis looked politely indifferent as he walked out and took a seat.  “Duke Zelgadis’s wife, Princess Amelia Wil Tesla of Saillune, will spend most of her time fulfilling her duties as Saillune’s ambassador at the royal court, but occasionally she will give a class on White Magic and first aid.”

 

Amelia was her bubbly self as she walked out and waved. “My parents, my first teachers, will also be your instructors. Leia Inverse will teach three classes, History, Folklore and Myths, and Curses. My father, Han Inverse, will help Gourry teach you swordplay and he has also put together an intricate Class of Hard Knocks as he calls it. Living on the road requires street smarts that they don’t teach at most schools. Well, we aren’t most schools.”

 

Han and Leia took their seats, and Lina continued, “I will also teach three classes. Black Magic, Battle Tactics, and the Gods and Mazoku Lords. Through the year we will be evaluating your strengths, and determining how to divide you among us for advanced courses in our specific disciplines. There will be advanced courses in Swordplay, Black Magic, Shamanist Magic, and a fourth, very elite course in a little known branch of magic known as Chaos Magic that will start in the second quarter of the year. These courses will be offered on different days so some of you may be eligible for all four, but even if you aren’t, there are benefits of specializing, and in fact some experts believe it is better to specialize rather than spread yourself out too thinly.”

 

Lina paused for a moment to let them think about what she said before she continued, “Breakfast is at seven. Every day after breakfast no matter the weather you will meet Sir Gourry and Mr. Inverse on the sparring fields outside and spend your mornings there. Depending on the day and topic, either me or one of the other instructors will be there as well. After that we will have time for lunch, and then in the afternoon there will be two classes. All you need to do is meet in this room after lunch, the instructor will be waiting.

 

“Meals will be served in the student’s hall. Three nights a week, one of you will join the instructors for dinner. We have the schedule planned out, each of you will get this opportunity for us to know you better. And the first student to have this honor will be Adam.”

 

One of the younger boys’ eyes widened, and the young girl beside him that Lina presumed was his twin sister, Adora, judging by the information Luna had given her in addition to their resemblance, punched him on the arm.

 

“The first floor of the manor is yours to use, with a few exceptions. Our cook, Nellie, asks that you stay out of the kitchen. Boys need to stay out of the girls’ dormitory, girls need to stay out of the boys’.  And be forewarned, this manor is haunted.”

 

People started whispering excitedly as Lina continued, “The haunting is contained to a single room, and I ask that you stay out of that room unless you have permission. It is haunted by the ghost of a woman whose home was taken from her to build Maninstit, so unless you want to provoke her ire further, leave her in peace.”

 

The children looked at her incredulously and murmured amongst themselves, “Unless there is an emergency, do not go onto the second floor, least you want to incite my wrath. Finally, it’s time to appoint the dorm leaders. We chose the oldest boy and girls for this task. The dorm leaders will ensure the smooth running of the dorms, make sure that everyone makes their beds and has the lights off by ten and breaks up any squabbles that occur. The dorm leader for the ladies will be Honor. Please stand up.”

 

A young girl with her hair shaved off stood up, and Lina could detect just how badly she was struggling to contain her excitement behind a mask of professionalism. Judging by the utilitarian nature of her clothing, Lina had to admire just how little this girl seemed to care for her appearance. She seemed pragmatic to the extreme! Not to mention a good choice to be dorm leader “And the dorm leader for the boys will be Owen.” Lina said, and a tall, blonde boy stood up, and he seemed much less pleased with the task set before him, judging by his barely concealed smirk.

 

“Jeeves will give you a tour after dinner, and then you had best get to bed and be ready for a long, full day tomorrow as we’re going to assess your strengths and weaknesses and learn why my sister decided you made the cut.” Lina smiled as they squirmed a little, and then her thoughts turned to the food that Nellie and her recently hired staff had been preparing all day, “But that’s enough of this stodgy office stuff, let’s go to the dining hall and eat!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if I was going to say anything, but I ended up spilling the beans a bit to Dragonfeathers about the theme behind the girls' name, which is badass female characters I grew up with. After wracking my brains I went ahead and did the same thing with the boys. Have fun guessing the references! First person to guess all 22 gets to made a fanfic request. 
> 
> Also, I've taught kiddos from as young as 3 to adults far older than me when I was teaching community college...and I stay far away from preteens. If a potential client calls and says they want me to do counseling with their pre-teen, I conveniently get overbooked. Teenagers are fine. Preteens are an entirely different beast. I feel for the gang.


	21. Chapter 21

When Lina and Gourry got to the foot of the stairs the next morning, the ground floor was already a swell of activity as children ran to and from the dining hall. Gourry was completely unperturbed as he waved as they went to their own dining room, and his eyes seemed to dance merrily as though he was enjoying all of the turbulence. They walked by a girl with dark hair and her face smudged with ashes from reading by the fireplace. She looked up at Lina, and held the book up apologetically, “I hope it’s okay. I took it from the library.”

 

Lina shrugged, “As long as you bring it back. What’s your name?”

 

“Danielle.”

 

Lina looked at what she was reading, “Take it with a grain of salt, but it’s a nice story.”

 

“Thank you. Do you have any recommendations?”

 

“Hm,” Lina said, and then she named a few books in a similar vein. As soon as she had finished, a young boy collided with her, and then looked at her in fear as he realized who he had just run into. “S-sorry, ma’am!”

 

Lina shook her head, “What’s your name, kid?”

 

“Jean-Luc.”

 

“Be careful where you’re going.”

 

“Right. Thanks.” He said, and then he went running to the student’s dining room, and Lina continued with Gourry to theirs. When they got there, Zel and Amelia were already eating. They greeted each other as they sat down and Amelia asked, “So, are you ready for your first day?”

 

“You bet!” Lina said as she loaded her plate with pancakes.

 

“You’re not worried about that girl showing you up?” Zelgadis asked chidingly.

 

“Maeve?” Lina asked, “Well, she is the daughter of some bigwig in the Zefiel City Sorcerer’s Guild and is descended from the Eternal Queen.”

 

“What?” Gourry asked.

 

“The Eternal Queen is old.” Lina said, “No one knows how old exactly, but over a century. She has many descendants, none of whom have a real chance of inheriting any time soon.”

 

“Wow.” Zelgadis said. “Is this an effect of Ragradia?”

 

“As far as we know. Maeve is either a great-great granddaughter, or a great-great-great granddaughter. And she’s not the only one attending this school descended from the Eternal Queen.”

 

“Who else?” Amelia asked.

 

Lina thought for a moment, “Adam and Adora. And Owen, for that matter. I’m not sure if he’s a direct descendant or a cousin or great nephew or something like that, but he’s the only son of a nobleman.”

 

Han and Leia came in then, with Leia musing loudly, “How on earth am I going to remember all of their names?”

 

They talked amicably until breakfast was over and it was time to go to the sparring fields. Lina and Gourry left with Zelgadis as Amelia, and as soon as she had opened the door to the dining room she found herself face to face with a young girl with light brown hair. “Sorry.” The girl said. “I just need to talk to you before we go down to spar.”

 

Lina frowned, “What’s up?”

 

“It’s just, I go by Ace. And I don’t want anyone knowing what my real name is. So if you do a roll call or whatever I don’t want you yelling out my real name.”

 

Lina folded her arms, feeling slightly amused as she tried to figure out which name it was and wishing that she could send Ace away for a moment so she could place a bet with Gourry and Zelgadis. “What’s your real name then?”

 

_Pippi_. _I’d bet a bag of gold coins on Pippi._  

 

Ace looked behind her to make sure no one was watching and then whispered, “Dorothy.”

 

_Glad I didn’t make that bet!_ Lina thought to herself as the girl quickly continued, “Please just call me Ace. Everyone else does, and if people find out I have a stupid name like Dorothy I’d never hear the end of it!”

 

“What’s so bad about Dorothy?” Zelgadis asked.

 

“It’s fine if you’re into frills and lace and all that. But that’s not me.” Ace said.

 

“Alright then, Ace, I’ll make a note of it. With a name like Ace, though, you’d better be able to back it.”

 

“I will,” Ace said as she relaxed a little, “Just wait till you see what I can do. Anyway, thanks. See you in a bit.”

 

As soon as she left, another student, a boy, came up to them, “Hey, can I ask you something before we go out?”

 

“What?” Lina said.

 

The boy looked behind him and said, “Don’t call me Henry at roll call, call me Indiana.”

 

“Indiana?” Lina repeated as she shook her head and wondered how many kids would come up and beg for them not to use their given names. “How did you come up with that?”

 

He smiled at them charmingly, “That’s a long story. Another time perhaps. Just remember, not Henry, Indiana!”

 

“Bye, Indiana.” Gourry said.

 

“Perhaps we should ask if anyone else has any last minute name changes.” Lina said as she shook her head.

 

“I understand.” Zelgadis said, “People always found creative and new ways to butcher my name, and other kids were good at teasing me for it. There were times I wanted to just say my name was Bob and be done with it.”

 

“Speaking of,” a young, intense looking boy said as he came up to them, “I’m Cuchulain. Coo-hoo-lin.”

 

“Cuchulain.” Zelgadis repeated.

 

Cuchulain nodded, “Thanks.”

 

“Looks like we have a bit in common.” Zelgadis said, and Lina’s fears that he would be to cold and distant for the kids eased.

 

“Well, those of us with strange names are in a special club.”

 

“Right. Now get going.”

 

Cuchulain scampered ahead with the other children as they got outside and headed towards the sparring fields. Amelia’s carriage was already waiting to take her to Zefiel City. “Good luck!” she said as walked hand in hand with Zelgadis to it while Lina and Gourry continued towards the fields.

 

Most of the kids were already waiting at the fields when they got there. Maeve was standing confident, practicing her chants under her breath as she waited. Beside her a young boy with black hair who had gotten a practice sword out was doing his warm ups, and Lina had to shake her head. He was so comfortable with the sword he practically looked as though he was dancing, though as far as Lina could tell his technique was solid. “He is actually very skilled.” Lina commented.

 

“That’s not a style I see often.” Gourry replied. “Hey kid, what’s your name?”

 

“Gomez.” He said with flourish, a manic look in his black eyes as he stood to attention and then bowed to Lina as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. “It is good to meet you, my lady.”

 

Lina had to suppress a giggle as she playfully smacked him on the head, “Tone it down a notch. And remember I’m married.”

 

“And may I be as happily wedded as you are one day.” He replied.

 

“Who instructed you until now?” Gourry asked.

 

As Gomez answered him, Lina looked around and started counting as Zelgadis joined them. It looked as though they were missing two kids. “They have two minutes, and then they’re doing extra laps.” Lina muttered to Zelgadis as her parents joined them.

 

“Take note of the kids already going through their warm ups versus those who aren’t.” Han muttered just loud enough to be heard, and almost guiltily those who were mulling around found something to do.

 

Lina smiled as bit as the last two students joined them. Then she yelled, “Good morning! And welcome to your first day of school. Now I know that my sister and her scouts decided that you are good enough to be here, but I need to see for myself what makes you good enough.”

 

A boy, probably the youngest one there and dressed from head to toe in green, shot his hand up in the air as he blurted out, “So does that mean that you don’t trust your sister’s judgment?”

 

Lina raised her eyebrow and considered him as she hoped to buy time to think of an answer. “What’s your name?”

 

“Peter.”

 

“If I’m going to teach you, then I need to know your strengths and limitations and see them for myself.” Lina turned her attention to the rest of the students. “Any other questions?”

 

To Lina’s great relief, no one stirred. Lina looked at Maeve, “Then you’re up.”

 

Maeve took a deep breath and stepped forward, and Lina had to admit that if nothing else, the girl had poise. And though she was young, the last thing Lina needed was to have her ass handed to her on her first day of teaching, and if there was one thing Lina herself had proven, it was that being young was not an obstacle to taking down someone powerful.  “You know the rules.” Lina said, and Maeve nodded.

 

Because of the lethal nature of many spells, only ones that caused minimal damage such as Burst Rondo and Dil Brand could be used in spars. Fireballs were out. But people could get very creative in their attempt to beat their opponent.

 

Lina motioned that she was ready, and Maeve wasted little time to cast, “Dil Brand!”

 

Lina dodged easily, but the resultant dirt and dust the spell kicked up did put her at a slight disadvantage. Overall it was a smart spell to start with because it did impair vision and hearing even if the idea to start with a Dil Brand was a rather predictable move. Lina started chanting her own spell as she kept an ear out, and nearly miscast her spell in her confusion over whether or not she was hearing correctly. “Bogardic Elm.” Lina quickly finished, and Maeve cried out as the ground below her turned into a swamp and she sank to her knees.

 

Her hand brushed the swampy ground and she cried out in disgust as she let the spell die. Lina cast a levitation spell and gave her a hand. “You’re going to have to get used to getting dirty. A mazoku isn’t going to care and won’t give you time to get scrubbed up before they kill you. Whatever you do, don’t stop casting that spell.”

 

Maeve nodded, and Lina cast another spell to reverse it and helped Maeve out. The she looked at her. “What was that you were chanting? I’ve never heard anything like it.”

 

“Holy Magic.” Maeve stated.

 

“What?” Zelgadis exclaimed. “I know dragons can cast it, but humans can’t!”

 

“After the barrier fell my father found that he could.” Maeve explained, “There were some ancient scrolls in the archive that he cared for filled with spells no one could cast. After the barrier fell he decided to give it a try and they worked. He taught a few to me, but I’m still a bit hit or miss.”

 

“With practice you will get more consistent, so long as you don’t stop chanting.” Lina said, and then she backed away a bit. “I’m not going to dodge. Hit me with it.”

 

“Lina!” Gourry said.

 

“It won’t hurt her.” Maeve said.

 

Gourry still looked mildly alarmed, but Lina nodded, and Maeve started chanting and then said, “Ray Freeze.”

 

A gold road seemed to reach to her and lock her in place. Lina struggled against it for a few minutes and then exhaled, “Well, you caught me. I’m impressed.”

 

Maeve smiled as she canceled the spell. Lina dusted her hands, “One thing I want everyone here to understand. There are new discoveries in magic all the time, and we have to continually seek new knowledge to stay on the top of our game. Which is another way of saying, Maeve, you’re presenting a topic on Holy Magic in two weeks.”

 

Maeve’s eyes widened as she wondered if she was being rewarded or punished, “Right!”

 

“Meanwhile, Ray Freeze!” Lina grinned as the energy shot from her and encompassed Maeve, and then she quickly found she could encompass more than one person, and she wasted little time in grabbing a few other students with it. “How did you do that?” Peter asked.

 

“What?” Lina asked.

 

“Cast the spell when no one taught you?”

 

Lina shrugged as she canceled the spell, “I just have to hear a chant once to have it memorized. It’s a gift.”

 

Peter’s mouth dropped as the other students started murmuring, and Lina smiled to herself, sufficiently convinced that she had proven her reputation. “Right then.” Lina said as she looked at her roster, “Any volunteers to go next, or should I just go down the roster?”

 

A young girl raised her hand, “I’ll go.”

 

“What’s your name, then?” Lina said.

 

“Ripley.”

 

Lina recognized the surname of one of her students. “You just go by Ripley?”

 

“I do.”

 

“Alright, show us what you’ve got.”

 

* * *

 

 

Lina dusted her hands and exhaled in relief as Jackie laid down his practice sword and went to stand with the others. Finally they had gotten through all twenty-two of the students. While none of the others had delivered the bombshell that Maeve had, several, such as Marcus and Jackie, had styles that were incredibly rare and unique that had thoroughly piqued Gourry’s interest. And a few, such as Pippi and Clark, were uncommonly physically strong.

 

“Now,” Lina said commandingly, “We still have an hour before lunch. Go ahead and run four laps around the manor grounds.”

 

Owen and a few of the others scoffed. “What does running have to do with slaying Mazoku?”

 

Lina raised her eyebrow as Zelgadis said, “Sometimes being able to run is the difference between staying alive and dying.”

 

“But we would die with honor.” Cuchulain said.

 

Lina smiled wryly, “And that will be a great comfort to the people who suffer because you failed to protect them by refusing to take a tactical retreat until you can regroup and gain the advantage.”

 

“But if we fight for a worthy, noble cause…” Kara, a flaming haired peasant in tattered clothing began.

 

“Mazoku believe that they are fighting for a worthy, noble cause.” Lina said, “It means nothing on the battlefield. When you’re out there you fight to stay alive and that’s that.”

 

Some of the students looked at her as though she was making sound sense, while others looked as though she was crazy. A few looked to be thinking it over. “At any rate,” Gourry said, “You’d better start running. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can have lunch.”

 

Lina smiled as that sent them off and running. Gourry wrapped his arm around her as they watched them. “Well, that was interesting.”

 

“You’d think with all of my experience that they would just accept what I say. I mean, I know what I’m talking about.”

 

“Considering I raised you,” Leia said as she put a hand on Lina’s shoulder, “Excuse me while I have a nice, long laugh.”

 

Hey!” Lina said.

 

“I’ll join her.” Han added with a smile.

 

“You planted a seed.” Gourry said. “Sometimes an idea, especially when it’s very different from what you’ve heard all your life, takes a while to grow.”

 

“That’s deep.” Lina said.

 

“We’ll have to keep an eye on Owen.” Zelgadis said. “And the other ones who are angry. Mara, Nerys.”

 

“People who are angry that young usually have good reasons to be.” Han said, “And they need someone to show them how to grow beyond it. This will be a good place for them.”

 

“I’m more concerned with the ones like Susan and Bruce.” Leia said, “Neither of them wanted to be noticed and seemed so sad.”

 

“Well, Bruce was orphaned, and that would be devastating for anyone.” Lina said, “Nothing really stood out about Susan’s background though.”

 

“Susan seems to have a sense of duty and very capable.” Zelgadis said, “I still say be careful with Owen. He’s got a chip on his shoulder and seems more interested in playing around than learning. And with a background like his he’s used to getting what he wants and not having to respect limits. He could challenge us.”

 

“You have a point. I’ve known a lot of kids like him.” Gourry said. “Still, after all we’ve dealt with, he’s nothing we can’t handle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In interviews, Hajime Kanzaka has stated that with the barrier down humans can now do Holy Magic again, but they likely wouldn't realize it for some time or be able to translate it from dragon to human for a few centuries. I decided to take some liberties so they would recover that knowledge a bit faster than HK anticipated :-)
> 
> OK, I think I got all of the student names in there. One person is in the lead having identified all five from the previous chapter! Theme is badass characters I grew up with, so really books/tv shows/movies before 2000, and the first one to guess all 22 gets to make a fanfic request! And yeah, some of these are gimmes, others are a bit more obscure, but none should be too difficult.


	22. Chapter 22

The students were already sitting in the classroom when Lina got in, and a hush fell in the room as Lina walked to the blackboard and wrote the name of the class, the Gods and Mazoku Lords, on the board. “As I explained yesterday, this will be one of three classes that I teach, the other two being Black Magic and Battle Tactics. And while these may seem like disparate subjects, they are intimately connected. While you can practice Black Magic without knowledge of the Mazoku Lords, your knowledge will only be surface deep and you won’t be able to invent new spells, and invention is something you need to be able to do in the field. No Black Magic user worth their salt doesn’t have a good working knowledge of the Mazoku lords, especially as that is where we draw our power from…Yes, Owen?”

“I’m a swordsman. Why do I have to bother learning about magic?”

“Because if you’re going to be fighting Mazoku, then you need to be aware of the spells that the magic users in the group will use. And this will also come in handy for defending yourself from rogue magic users. If you can identify the chant they are using, you can figure out which spell they will cast and can better defend against it. Finally, there are swords that work by holding and releasing magic spells.”

Owen seemed satisfied, but Kara raised her hand, “But isn’t it evil to channel power from a Mazoku?”

Lina smiled, “Suppose you found a discarded sword that a Mazoku lord wielded? Would you have any worries about using it? Just because you channel that power doesn’t mean that you’re doing something evil. But you do have to be smart about how you use these spells.”

Kara looked unconvinced, “But does that energy damage you?”

“Black Magic users have been known to have long lifespans, so I’d say no. You hear a lot of myths, that women who use Black Magic can’t get pregnant or whatever or that using Black Magic stunts your growth, but it’s just baloney people spread to scare you into giving up your power.”

“I hate to say it, ma’am, but you’re not exactly a good example of a Black Magic user who grew to be…tall.” Maeve said.

Lina’s eyebrow twitched, but before she could say anything, Nerys said, “After the demons razed my town when the Dark Lord was reborn, I don’t particularly care where the power to annihilate them comes from or how much it stunts my growth. I’m going to use every advantage I can to win and protect my people. I’m not going to dither about whether or not I won’t grow another inch. Those of you who’ve been pampered and sheltered your whole life don’t know what it’s like to be out there when people are dying.”

“I’m not saying that there’s anything wrong with using Black Magic per se.” Jean-Luc said, “But I do worry about using every advantage without regard for the consequences. Power like this must be tested and used carefully, or the consequences of our actions could be worse than what we’re defending ourselves against.”

“Which is what we’ll be doing.” Lina said, eager for the opportunity to get the topic back on track. “Educating you about the power you are wielding, when to use it and when to not. For instance, never cast a Dragon Slave unless you are in the middle of nowhere. But that’s a topic for our Black Magic course. Today, we’re talking about Shabranigdu and Ceiphied, and the battle between them that we are caught in.”

Several students picked up their quills and looked at her expectantly. Lina then went and wrote the diagram with the Mazoku Lords on the board, and then the one with the Gods. “There are the names and rankings of the Mazoku Lords and the Gods. The Mazoku desire destruction and to end the world. They also feed off negative emotions and energy. Suffice to say, that they are our enemy.”

“But how do we really know that?” Mara asked.

“Sweet Ceiphied.” Nerys exclaimed in disgust.

“Really.” Mara persisted, “What if the Gods have been lying to us or duping us?”

“Mara has a good point actually.” Lina said, “Which is never be afraid to question your assumptions. That being said, who in here has met a Mazoku?”

Lina raised her hand. So did Nerys and a few others. “Those of you who haven’t met a Mazoku, pay attention to those who have their hands raised, and then ask them about their experiences after class. Now, Mazoku want nothing more than to return the world to Chaos. They are very open and upfront about this goal and I have heard it from their mouths more times than I can count. If they succeed then everyone, myself included, will die, and that’s not something I’m interested in. The Gods aren’t exactly our allies, but they do want to see that the world continues to survive, thus ensuring my survival and making my decisions on who to fight with rather easy.”

Lina said, “That said, there will be times when you find yourself making strange alliances to survive. I’ve even had to make an alliance with a Mazoku to survive. Eventually he stabbed me in the back, but I expected nothing less from him. I hope none of you ever find yourself in that situation, but remember, the choice is always to survive. That is what you must always fight for.”

Kara raised her hand again, “But if the Mazoku are so evil, I still don’t see how channeling power from them can be a good thing.”

“Because it doesn’t matter where the power comes from,” Lina snapped, getting a little tired of her binary thinking, “What matters is your reasons for using it.”

Kara put her hand down as Lina took a deep breath and continued, “Now, I can lecture about this chart, feed you the names of the Mazoku and Gods, but you likely already know all that and if not, then you can look it up. What I’m wondering is, how many of you know where we get this knowledge of them from?”

Indiana raised his hand, “The Claire Bible?”

“That is one source,” Lina said as she added it to her increasingly crowded blackboard, and then to her surprise Indiana listed several more. Lina quickly added them and noted that someone knew his source material, “The Claire Bible is considered to be the gold star of source material. But genuine copies are rare, and frauds are plentiful. And your find could be anything from a spell that could help you defeat a powerful Mazoku, to the best chocolate chip recipe you’ve ever had. So if you find a manuscript, be careful and authenticate first.”

Susan raised her hand as she asked, “But how do we tell a genuine copy from a fake?”

“Glad you asked.” Lina said as she lifted the hand that held the chalk.

* * *

Lina was so glad when she saw Zel come in to the classroom. “And on that note we will wrap up for the day. Next week I want each of you to turn in an essay on how to spot a fake, and then we’ll be examining actual documents and you will have to make a verdict of whether or not they are genuines or fakes. Now, go ahead and take a fifteen minute break and be sure to meet back on time. I wouldn’t want to incite Duke Zelgadis’ wrath by being late to your first class with him.”

“How’d it go?” Zel asked as he put a load of books on the desk and Lina started erasing the chalkboard. 

“Good.” Lina said, “They’re a bit more inquisitive than I expected, but it’s really a good thing. I thought I’d just be droning on while they took notes, but they had all of these questions!”

She then leaned close and whispered, “But fortunately, nothing I couldn’t answer!”

He laughed, “You sound as though you were worried.”

“Just you wait!” Lina said, “It’s almost your turn on the hot podium.”

“Well, it’s not like they would know if I didn’t know the answer.” Zelgadis said.

“Don’t say that too loudly.” Lina replied. “Or they might think you’re bullshitting.”

“Right. Well, you enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”

“Bye!” Lina said.

Zelgadis wrote the name of the class, Potions, on the board as the students gradually started filtering back into the classroom. Before he could even begin, though, Ace had walked up and asked, “Hey, I hope this isn’t too inappropriate, but you were a chimera, right?”

“Right,” Zelgadis said.

“Well, how did you get your human body back?” she asked.

Zelgadis stared at her for a moment. “And how is this related to potions?”

“Well, I imagine that a potion would be involved at some point.”

Zelgadis drummed his fingers on his arm. “Take a seat.”

Ace tried to hide her look of disappointment as she sat down. Zelgadis considered her and remembered what was in her file. “You have a background in potions.”

“Right.” She said.

“Gotten into some trouble with them.” 

She blushed as everyone turned to stare at her, “I had good reasons for it.”

People started whispering as Zelgadis continued, “Yes, considering that the sorcerer you targeted was creating chimeras, you did. So, who did he turn that you cared about?”

“My friend.”

The room was silent for a moment, and then Zelgadis grabbed the chalk. “Getting my human body back, it’s all connected with the skills that make you good at using magic and potions. You have to think outside the box for one thing. In general, when you think of separating chimeras, how would you approach it?”

Everyone was silent for a moment. Then Ace said, “Well, it would be like filtering the non-human parts out I suppose.”

Many of the other students nodded. “That’s the direction I took for a long time, and it was dead end after dead end. Suppose we had a pitcher of lemonade. Now break it down, what elements are in the pitcher that, combined, make lemonade?”

“Lemon juice, sugar and water.” Honor jumped in.

“Now, suppose you just wanted to get water. How would you do that?”

Everyone was silent for a moment, and then Honor gasped, “Add more water?”

Zelgadis nodded, “Suppose you had a big pitcher. Eventually you can add enough water that the lemon juice and sugar won’t be noticeable.”

“But how do you add more humans without merging with a bunch of strange people?” Nerys asked, the disgust evident in her voice.

“By making a copy.” Zelgadis explained.

“What’s that?” Gomez asked.

“It’s where you make a duplicate of yourself.” Jean-Luc explained, “But how did you do that when your body had been so drastically altered?”

“The inside of my cheek still had unaltered human cells.” Zelgadis explained. “I was able to take samples from those, make several copies of myself, and graft them onto my body. Now the amount of blow demon and rock golem are just trace amounts, and I am back to being human again.”

There was the scratching sound of quill on parchment as people hurriedly took notes as Ace asked, “But where did that idea come to you from?”

“Sometimes when you are facing a challenging problem, you just have to tear up all of your research and start fresh and approach it from a different vantage point. Now, anymore questions about how I became human again?” No one raised their hand, but Zelgadis made a note to talk with Ace later about helping her friend, “Then, let’s return to what I was originally planning to lecture on.”

* * *

“How did it go?” Gourry asked as Lina walked into her room and sat down on the couch with him.

“Good. Though, I guess I was expecting a quiet classroom as they soaked in my wisdom. Instead they debated and discussed it.”

“Is that bad?” he asked as he wrapped an arm around her.

“Not really. It was enlightening at the least.” She said even as her brow knitted as she reflected on what they had asked and what she had said and wondered if she had been clear enough, and even if she had been correct to assure them that there would be no harm in channeling Black Magic spells. While she had confidently explained that Black Magic had no effect on a person’s ability to procreate, the fact that the desired event had yet to occur had left her questioning her assurance. Still, it wasn’t as though a lot of time had passed, and plenty of Black Magic sorceresses went on to have children.

“Hm.” He said as he leaned in to nuzzle at her neck. “We have a few hours before dinner.”

She smiled, “Someone is feeling amorous.”

“I’ve never slept with a teacher before.” He said. “The thought is turning me on.”

She opened her eyes as she pulled away, “Is that a thing for you?”

He shrugged, “Is that bad?”

She chuckled as she started to kiss him, “No, but let’s just say, I’m learning a lot today.”

* * *

“My sister and I will both get inherit some special swords when we come of age.” Adam explained as he ate. “It will magnify our power.”

“What type of swords?” Gourry asked.

Adam shrugged, “They were bequeathed to Queen Carliena when she founded Zeferia and have been passed along ever since. They amplify the power you already have and make it stronger.”

“Excuse me, ma’am.” Jeeves said as he came in, “But this arrived for you.”

“Thank you.” Lina said as she took the missive and read it, “Wow.”

“What?” Leia asked.

“There’s a woman in Toft who just gave birth to a rabbit.” Lina declared, and Adam burst into laughter. But then he looked at the adults in the room who were stoned faced and stopped.

“So it’s begun.” Amelia said sadly.

Adam looked confused, “So what’s begun? How does a woman give birth to a rabbit?”

“Damn, I forgot he was here.” Lina said. “Listen, Adam, what I say does not leave this room! It is top secret, and if you share this information with anyone it will have dire consequences. Understand?”

“Yes,” Adam said as he straightened and looked serious. 

Lina took a deep breath, “A Mazoku cursed the town of Toft so that the women there would give birth to rabbits. We thought it was just talk, but now it looks like it’s happening. The town is being quarantined until we find a way to break the curse. We don’t want mass panic spreading through the kingdom and pregnant women worrying themselves into stillbirths and miscarriages by spreading this.”

Adam’s blue eyes widened, “Right! I won’t tell a soul. I won’t even tell Adora.”

Lina patted his arm, “Thank you.”

As soon as dinner was over and Adam had left, Han asked as he burst out laughing, “Did you see the look on that kid’s face?”

Everyone joined in on the laughter as Gourry said, “I do believe he bought it.”

“It was so outlandish I didn’t think he would.” Zelgadis said, “I guess people will believe anything.”

“We live in a strange world, and curses do exist. So do chimeras.” Lina said, happy that her plan to determine which students could be trusted to protect a top secret spell like the Giga Slave versus those who would spill the beans was thus far going well. She had decided that during dinner she would plant a false and outlandish rumor and see which ones spread and which ones didn’t. The ones who could keep the secret would be considered for training in Chaos Magic, while the ones who couldn’t would be disqualified. “So why not?”

“And you’re keeping track of which rumor you’re giving to which student?” Leia said.

“Yes, Mom.” Lina said, bristling a little. At first she had missed her mom so much she could let the snide reminders go unnoticed, but the more time they spent together, the more annoyed Lina got at her mother’s inability to trust her to do her job. “You know I have been managing well on my own these last few years.”

“There’s no need to take that tone.”

“It’s been a long day.” Gourry said, “I’m sure everyone wants some time to relax and prepare for tomorrow. But all in all, it was a successful opening day for the school, right?”

Lina patted his arm, “It was. Good work everyone! I do believe we are off to a good start!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the idea for how to cure Zelgadis from the English translations of the Slayers Radio dramas: https://slayerstransl8d.livejournal.com/2008/06/29/  
> And to think of an outlandish rumor that wouldn’t mimic something I also heard in a counseling session and parade something I was told in confidence for other’s amusement, I had to think about famous hoaxes perpetuated through history, and the woman who convinced some doctors that she’d given birth to rabbits sprang to mind. There really is a sucker born every minute. Warning if you do look it up, the details are rather gross, gory and disturbing.
> 
> And congrats to Zoro50, who put in the hard work of figuring out who the students were based on! Hopefully I will get Zoro50’s request up by the end of May. The students are:  
> Ace: Ace/Dorothy, my favorite Doctor Who companion growing up.  
> Honor: Honor Harrington, Honor Harrington series by David Webber, check them out if you haven’t!  
> Pippi: Pippi Longstocking! Who else has the stupid Pippi Longstocking song stuck in their head now?  
> Danielle: Danielle De Barbarac, Ever After, AKA Cinderella. My mom would always comment that Danielle was basically my teenager alter ego. She even walked in the same stubborn manner I did.  
> Kara, Dragonheart  
> Ripley, Ellen Ripley, does she really need an introduction?  
> Nerys, Kira Nerys, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine  
> Peter, Peter Pan  
> Owen, Owen Deathstalker, The Deathstalker series, loved these books in high school, not sure how I’d feel about them now  
> Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation. He’s so awesome that my husband has a man crush on him.  
> Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones series  
> Clark Kent, Superman  
> Bruce Wayne, Batman  
> Gomez, Gomez Addams, The Addams Family  
> Jackie Chan, in many of his older works he just played a character named Jackie, so I hoped I wasn’t stretching a bit with this one  
> Adam and Adora, He-Man and She-Ra!  
> Susan Ivanova and Marcus Cole, Babylon 5. Who doesn’t love Ivanova?  
> Queen Maeve of Connaght and Cuchulain, showing off my Irish heritage and love of Irish mythology. Also, Morgan Llewelyn did some amazing novelizations of Irish myths when I was in high school. Red Branch was an incredible retelling of Cuchulain’s adventures and his battles with Queen Maeve.


	23. Chapter 23

The kids were all crowded around something when Gourry got to the sparring fields the next morning. At first he was worried that someone was injured, but the vibe from the group was different. And then Pippi exclaimed, “He’s so cute!”

The groups shifted, and Gourry could see Honor at the center, holding a rather distinctive looking golden tabby. “That your cat?” Gourry asked as he reached them.

“No.” Honor explained even as she brought the cat closer for a cuddle as he purred loudly in response. “He just walked right up to me when I came out today.”

Gourry considered the cat for a moment and then said, “If he’s still around after class, then you can go ahead and bring him to the kitchen for some milk.” 

“Really!?” Honor exclaimed.

“Really!” Gourry said. Cats were good to keep around for keeping vermin away after all, and Lina had talked about getting one. He did a quick count of the students and noted that they were all there and said, “Now we’re going to start with some laps today, then we’re going to pair off. Four laps!”

Gourry watched as the kids ran and sat down next to the tabby and started to scratch his ears. The cat purred loudly as he leaned into his hand for more scretchies, and Gourry found himself hoping that the cat would stick around. As Han came up to join them he said by way of greeting. “Where did that cat come from?”

“Honor found him.” Gourry explained. “I’ve never seen a cat like this one. It’s almost as if his fur was spun from gold.”

“It is unusual.” Han said, “Might have to ask around. He’s too friendly to be feral. He has to belong to someone.”

“I hope not, I’m kinda of hoping to keep him.” Gourry said, “Anyway, you ready?”

“Got the lesson all planned out.” Han replied.

They chatted amicably as the kids ran, and when they finished Gourry divided them into two groups, those that were proficient in swordplay and those that weren’t, and sent those who were proficient with Han.

“Wait.” Owen said, “I was wanting to be trained by the best.”

Han looked menacing as he asked, “And what makes you think Gourry is better than me?”

“Gourry was knighted. You weren’t.”

“Any swordsman worth his salt knows you need to learn as many different styles as possible, and from as many people as possible.” Gourry said, “I’m going to work with the new students for a bit, then after an hour we’ll trade off. Everyone here will have their chance to pit their skills with the sword against all of the teachers here, well, with the exception of Princess Amelia and Mrs. Inverse. In the meantime, I wouldn’t be so quick to insult someone who will be instructing you.”

“Alright then.” Owen said, and judging by the way that Han was glaring at him Gourry had a feeling that the lad was in for a rough lesson.

Gourry shook his head, and then instructed his group to pair up and then demonstrated how to block a blow, and then had them practice with wooden swords. As he walked along the line and observed them he noted which had natural talent and which ones didn’t, and he did his best to find something that each of them had done well so he could point it out to them later even as he offered corrections when they were needed. By the end of the lesson they were laughing and joking with each other as an easy camaraderie started to form.

“Alright, we’re going to switch now. Keep up the hard work for Mr. Inverse, and then it will be lunch time!” Gourry said. He then walked over to the other group of students, who were still paired off. Gourry noted that Owen was looking thunderous. 

“Go ahead and spar with your partner until one of you makes contact.” Gourry instructed, and then once again he walked down the line and observed them as they dueled. 

Once everyone had finished, Gourry said, “Will the winners raise their hands?”

The student who won proudly shot their hands in the air, big smiles beaming on their faces. Gourry nodded, and then he asked, “Now, who of you with your hands up can describe your opponent’s style?’

“Describe it then.”

Gomez smiled as he straightened, and then described his duel with Adam with plenty of narrative flourish. Gourry smiled and nodded, and then asked, “Can anyone who lost describe their opponent’s style?”

Honor raised her hand. “Honor?”

Honor proceeded to give a technical account of Danielle’s style, and when she finished, Gourry explained, “Gomez and Honor are the real winners. When you’re fighting ruffians and bandits, winning is just a matter of having more skill. But when you’re fighting skilled warriors and Mazoku, winning takes a lot more. It’s about studying your opponent’s style, seeing your opponent’s strengths and their weaknesses and being able to capitalize on them. A good swordsman can identify their opponent blindfolded.”

“But how are you supposed to remember all of that?” Owen asked.

“It does fill up your head.” Gourry said as he smiled, “It’s why I don’t have room in my head to remember anything else! Now, I want you to duel again, and this time I want you to be able to describe your opponent’s style after we finish.”

Gourry watched as they dueled again, and then listened as they subsequently described each other’s styles. For some, it came naturally. Others struggled to note anything about their opponent’s style. “We will practice, and we will get better at this. Keep in mind, every opponent has a weakness, and when you find that weakness, then you need to use it to your advantage.”

“Do you have a weakness?” Danielle asked.

“I do.” Gourry explained, “And when you find it, you will have the power to best me.”

“Do you want us to best you?” Kara asked.

“Every teacher wants to see their students grow beyond them.”

“Is it Lina?” Owen asked.

“Is what Lina?” Gourry asked.

“Your weakness?”

Gourry stared at him for a moment, “What makes you say that?”

“You know what they saw about women on the battlefield.”

“No,” Gomez said, “For a man like him, her being there will make him fight harder!”

“Quick, sloppy thinking like that will get you killed, Owen.” Gourry said, “I found a partner whose fighting style compliments mine. Good warriors do that. Her weaknesses are my strengths, her strengths are my weaknesses, so we balance each other out. She only becomes a liability to me if she is hurt, and I only become a liability to her if I am hurt, just like I become a liability to myself if my hand is hurt. Gomez is right, she gives me a reason to fight harder.”

Owen lowered his eyes as he shifted, and Gourry worried that he was getting frustrated and discouraged. He then glanced at the sun, “For today, that is enough. Good work everyone. Eat well, you’ve earned it.”

Owen hung around a bit as the other students left. From their east, Gourry heard Honor exclaimed in delight as she picked up the golden tabby, “You’re still here!”

Gourry smiled as he watched as Honor carried the cat to the kitchen, but was distracted when Owen asked, “You trust Lina, a lot.”

“Yes.” Gourry replied.

“How do you trust someone like that?”

“When you’re on the battlefield and it’s find someone to have your back or be killed, you get really good at it.” He then considered Owen a moment, “It sounds as though you’ve not met a lot of people that you can trust.”

Owen was quite for a moment before he looked at the ground and admitted, “No.”

Gourry looked around, and then said, “Test me.”

“Huh?” Owen said.

“Test me. Trust me with a small secret. If I tell anyone, then you don’t have to tell me anything more. But if I keep it, then you have to trust me with a larger one.”

Owen took a deep breath, but then like anyone who is holding a lot in, spat out, “My parents are thinking about splitting, even with what that means for being nobles.”

“Wow.” Gourry said. “That’s rough.”

“Yeah.” Owen said.

Gourry clasped him on the shoulder, “I won’t tell anyone. Just let me know how it goes. And you’ll always have a home here, even if they do split.”

Owen’s eyes blinked rapidly as his face set, “Right. Thanks.”

* * *

“Where did Honor get that cat?” Lina asked as she walked with Gourry to their dining room after classes had wrapped up for the week. She was looking forward to a quiet dinner with the other adults, as well as a few days to rest before getting back into the swing of things. While the week had been successful, it had also been grueling and exhausting learning the ropes of her new career.

“Oh, I forgot! He came up to her a few days ago. I thought you wouldn’t mind if she brought him in.” Gourry explained.

“I don’t, but I swear I had a dream about him.” She said, and then her eyes widened as she saw a couple of students outside of the door to the Sad Lady’s room. “Indiana, Jean-Luc, where are you going?” 

Indiana smiled, “We just wanted to talk to her, find out what life was like three hundred years ago.”

Lina raised her eyebrow, “Well, whatever happens, make sure you document it and have a copy on my desk tomorrow morning.”

Indiana and Jean-Luc exchanged a mischievous look, “Will do!”

Lina chuckled as Gourry asked, “You don’t mind them going in there?”

“Why not? The Sad Lady won’t hurt them. And they can’t hurt her. And it shows an initiative and willingness to take risks that someone will need on the field. Besides, I have a soft spot for those boys.”

“Which ones?” Zel asked as Lina and Gourry walked into the room. The seat beside him was empty, Amelia had still not returned home from Zefiel City.

“Indy and Jean-Luc.” Lina said.

“They are good students, even if they push the boundaries of what they can get away with.” Zelgadis said. “Ace is the one that has really impressed me, though. Nerys, though, she gets under my skin.”

“She’s a bit oppositional, but she says what needs to be said.” Lina replied.

“She could do with a little respect.”

Leia and Lina exchanged a look, and Leia said, “In my experience, men start droning on about respect when they want to keep women under their foot.”

“Look, I’m not like that…” Zelgadis flared.

“But Nerys knows plenty of men who are.” Lina said, “Cut her some slack, she’s been through a lot and lost her entire family when the demons attacked. It’s Kara that annoys me. She’s too scared of her own power.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a little caution, especially given what we’re working with.” Zelgadis said.

“It’s good in the right amounts. I’m not worried about Honor or Jean-Luc or Clark for that matter. They have it in the right balance. But Kara has too much of it.”

“And Pippi and Peter too little.” Zelgadis said, and with that everyone laughed.

“To be fair, Pippi and Peter are our youngest students.” Leia said.

“But Pippi, was she raised in a barn?” Han asked.

“No, her father’s a sea captain. She was raised on a boat.” Lina said. 

“Oh, so it’s worse than a barn!” Gourry said.

Lina laughed, even as she shook her head, “Honestly Dad, Gourry, didn’t you read all of that information that Sis compiled?”

“No.” they both said. 

“Why should I when you’ll just tell me everything anyway?” Gourry asked.

“So you’ll just be lazy and let me do the work for you!?” Lina yelled.

“It gives me more reasons to talk to you. But if you want me to ignore you, then I guess I can read all about it.” Gourry said

Lina’s mouth dropped, and then she shook her head and smiled, “Who says I was complaining?”

Amelia walked in and closed the door, “Big news everyone!”

Before she took the time to explain anything, she rushed and kissed Zelgadis and then sat at the table and announced, “The good news! The Elmekian Empire has agreed to destroy the object with the help of representatives from several other kingdoms.”

Lina breathed a sigh of relief. “That is big news. I won’t relax completely until it is destroyed. Now, what’s the catch?”

Amelia looked at Gourry nervously, “They made a lot of requests. Now, in situations like this it is normal for a country to make a lot of demands and to know that most will not be filled, but they did ask that Mr. Gourry return to the Elmekian Empire to be tried for stealing the Sword of Light.”

Lina felt as though she had been punched in the gut as she looked at Gourry, who set his fork down. “What did the Eternal Queen say?” he asked.

“She’s completely against it, and she plans to offer something else instead. She does want to talk to you about it, though, so she will be here next week with Miss Luna to fill you in on everything and to tour the school.”

“T-tour the school!” Lina exclaimed. “But we just got it off the ground! We’re still working out the bugs!”

“It will be fine, honey.” Leia said.

Lina groaned, “I was wanting to take it easy this weekend! Now I’m going to be worrying about this.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Amelia said. “Really, it’s just to get the nobles who are upset about the expense off her back. When she sees what a wonderful job you are doing here she’ll tell them she’s satisfied, and no one will be able to complain.”

“I don’t think it’s that easy!” Lina said.

“Well, I’ve got some good lessons planned for next week.” Zelgadis said. “And Ace is sending for her friend who was turned into a chimera and we’re going to work on curing her. It will show how we’re already benefitting the citizens of the kingdom.”

“That’s wonderful, honey!” Amelia beamed.

“Yeah, but is she expected to get in so quickly? It takes time to get to here from Silberma!” Lina protested. “I just thought we’d be a bit more settled before they decided to visit.”

“I guess that was a bit premature.” Zelgadis said sheepishly.

“Well,” Leia said chipperly, “What do you need from us to have us ready?”

Lina groaned, “I’ll get to you tomorrow on that. It’s been a long week. I want a night off to rest.”

“Well, I have some ideas,” Leia said as she took charge and started listing them. Lina tuned her out as she ate, and slowly it dawned on her that she had a bigger problem than their upcoming guests. Gourry was shaken. Rather than eat he merely pushed his food around his plate as he stared blankly at the table and said little. When dinner was finally finished and they left the dining room, Lina reached out to grab his hand as they walked up the stairs and towards their room.

Once the door had closed behind them, he sat dejectedly on the bed and took off his boots. She looked at him, and tried to think of a way to lighten the mood, “You remember what Amelia said. The Eternal Queen is going to offer something else, and there’s no way she’s going to want you to return to Elmekia after giving you citizenship and parading you in front of the country. I wouldn’t worry about having to go to the Elmekian Empire for some ridiculous trial.”

Gourry ran a hand through his hair but didn’t say anything. She frowned. “What?”

“Everything is just going too good.” He said.

“So?” she asked.

“So it can’t last, I don’t know why I was dumb enough to think it would. I don’t deserve any of this.”

“Stop talking like that!” Lina snapped as she sat on bed with him, alarmed at his pity party, “You have more than earned this! How many other people can say they took down Shabranigdu?”

“You took Shabranigdu down. Twice. If anything I was just in the way.”

“You gave me the Sword of Light the first time.” Lina countered, “I couldn’t have killed him without it! And the second time…Luke knew that by hurting you it was the best way to get me to end the fight quickly. And if you hadn’t had been there to encourage me to face him in the first place, I may have just turned my head.”

“You wouldn’t have.” He said, “You would have done the right thing.”

“You making the decision to stand with me to fight Shabranigdu made doing the right thing a hell of a lot easier. And no matter what, even if you do have to go to the Elmekian Empire for a trial, I will stand with you and smack some reason into anyone who says you did wrong. Because you deserve to be by my side.” She then smiled coyly, “And all of the happiness that being in my amazing presence brings.”

He leaned forward and buried his face in his hands, and as she put a hand on his back she wasn’t sure if she was making things better or worse. “Hey! Talk to me! Tell me you’re going to be alright.”

He dried his eyes and then suddenly reached forward to embrace her, “It will. I just get into these stupid ways of thinking sometimes.”

She wrapped her arms around him and said, “Then it’s a good thing you have me here to tell you when you’re being stupid.”

He pulled away and brushed the hair from her face, “Love you.”

She moved forward to kiss him, “Love you.”


	24. Chapter 24

Lina sighed contentedly as she piled Gourry’s hair on the pillow above his head so she could draw her hand down his bare back, which was still slick with sweat from their joining. “I could just do this all night.” She commented lazily.

“It’s late. And we have classes tomorrow.” He said, though it was chidingly.

“Where did the weekend go?” Lina mused as she reflected that she was going to have to adjust to getting on a weekly schedule again. She was used to stretches of free time between weeks of frantic running from one emergency to another. “I know we should be sleeping, but with Sis and the Eternal Queen arriving in two days I just can’t!”

She moved so that it would be easier for her to plant kisses on his spine, “And this is such a nice diversion.”

“I won’t complain. If this is how you want to take your mind off your stresses, then I’ll gladly sacrifice some sleep.” He purred. And he could certainly use the diversion! Worrying about what his relatives in the Elmekian Empire were planning had not been good for him. “I’ll just take a nice, long nap after lunch.”

He gasped as he felt the press of her lips against his skin, especially as her fingers followed, and then her hair would brush against him like a silken blanket! Damn, but she’d gotten good at this, and fast. But then, since they’d officially become a couple they’d gotten in a lot of practice. And they had always been so in tune with each other. He surrendered himself to the enjoyment until he noticed something discordant, and then he stiffened as he raised his head off the pillows, “Someone is coming.”

She sounded confused as she said, “But we’ve not even really started yet.”

He turned and looked at her, and then she reddened, “Oh! Oh damn!”

She jumped out of bed and ran to the couch where her robe had been tossed and grabbed it and put it on, and Gourry quickly grabbed his pants as the footsteps became louder. He could tell it was Zel and Amelia before they had even knocked. She looked at the mirror and started messing with her hair as she hissed, “I don’t look like we’ve just been having sex, do I?”

He wanted to tell her to give it up. She was still rosy and pink and still radiated the glow, and then there was the smell. Fortunately before he could answer Zel and Amelia knocked. He took a deep breath and tried not to look too flustered as he opened it. “Hey!” he said as he tried to sound as casual as possible.

Lina relaxed when she saw it wasn’t her parents as Amelia said, “Sorry to disturb you so late, but we have a problem. I noticed a change in energy with the wards I used to contain the Sad Lady. It’s like they vanished!”

“What?” Lina said. And then the sounds of the children screaming rang from the foyer.

Gourry grabbed his shirt as Lina raced into the hallway. “You’re just going to have to put them back up, and quickly!” Lina told Amelia as they started running to the staircase.

“There’s a problem with that.” Amelia said.

“What do you mean, ‘there’s a problem with that!?’” Lina spat back.

“Well, it being a certain time of the month.” Amelia said, “I don’t have the power to do that.”

“But I thought you weren’t…oh dammit!” Lina said as she got to the head of the stairs as her parents came out of their room. 

“What’s going on?” Leia asked.

“The Sad Lady escaped.” Lina explained as she raced down the stairs and right through a ghost. “Dammit!” 

“Are you okay?” Gourry asked.

“Just like an ice bath.” She replied as she continued to race down the stairs, and when she saw a group of students heading towards them relief washed through her. “Is everyone okay?”

“All of the girls are accounted for.” Honor explained. “Our beds were turned over and objects were flying every which way in our rooms. I thought it best to get everyone out there.”

“Good thinking.” Lina said.

“Indiana and Jean-Luc are gone. They were missing when we woke up.” Owen explained. “But I swear they were in bed on time!”

“And Susan and Marcus went into the Sad Lady’s room to see what they could do.” Honor added.

“Susan has a background in White Magic, but Marcus...?” Lina mused. 

“He didn’t want her to go in there alone.” Honor explained.

“Right. Mom, Dad, stay with the kids. Everyone else, to the Sad Ladies’ room.” Lina ordered.

Yet as soon as Lina charged forward she immediately had to divert to the left as a curio cabinet flew down the hallway. Gourry sliced it in two with the Blast Sword and it splintered and shattered as it fell harmlessly to either side of him. He reached a hand to help Lina up as more objects started hurling towards them.

“Windy Shield!” Lina called, and other magic users started casting the same spell. “Get the kids in a circle! Magic users on the outside need to use the wind shield to protect those on the inside!”

“Right!” Honor acknowledged. Lina moved in front of Gourry and looked over her shoulder to ensure that the kids had the hang of it as debris hit their wind shields and went flying in other directions. 

Once she was sure they would be fine, she proceeded to move forward again, only to be hurled violently backwards as her feet were kicked up as the carpet was pulled from under them. Lina and the others cried out in shock and pain. “Dammit!” Lina said as she got up and rubbed her sore posterior, and then dodged as a bookshelf sped towards her. It smacked against her head as she couldn’t move quickly enough, and the world started to spin.

“Lina!” Gourry cried in alarm as she knelt down and held her head as wished desperately that the world would slow down. She felt his strong hand on her back, and she took a deep breath and told her to get it together as she stood up and felt as though she was going to vomit.

She tried to chant but found herself struggling to remember the words, and forget making the movements. She was too dizzy! “I-I may have to sit this out.” Lina said. The room wouldn’t stop spinning and she couldn’t even get a good sense of what was coming at her.

“It stopped. What happened?” she heard Amelia ask.

“Please look at Lina, she bumped her head.” Gourry asked.

“Susan! Marcus!” she heard Zelgadis say as the students came out of the Sad Ladies’ room, “And it looks as though we solved the mystery of what happened to Indiana and Jean-Luc.”

“I believe I managed to put the wards back up.” Susan reported as Amelia started examining Lina. “The Sad Lady is once again under lock and key.”

“How did she get loose in the first place?” Zelgadis asked.

“Look, the Sad Lady told us if we lifted the wards she’d show us where her buried treasure was.” Indiana explained.

“And you believed that!?” Zel exclaimed.

Indiana and Jean-Luc looked at the floor as Zel lectured, “Rule number one, never, ever trust a ghost! Their only reasons for staying in this world is to torment the living. They have nothing to lose and will tell us whatever lies we want to hear to wreck whatever havoc they please.”

Lina felt her eyebrow twitch as she turned away from Amelia to yell at them, “What were you thinking!? And look at this place! It’s trashed! And the Eternal Queen is coming in two days! How are we ever going to get this place fixed?”

She had a lot more she wanted to say, but she found herself putting her hand over her mouth to keep from throwing up. Amelia, meanwhile, tutted, “Looks like a bad concussion my friend.”

“I don’t have time for a concussion!” Lina yelled.

“We’re sorry, miss.” Jean-Luc said.

“That’s not going to do anything to put this right! Start cleaning!” Lina barked, granted, she had to admit that she couldn’t have been too intimidating. She could barely lift her head! Lina felt a new presence as her mother came over and started a recovery spell.

“But won’t the maid…” Indiana said.

“You really should stop while your only punishment is having the clean the mansion.” Gourry said, “You have no idea what she’s capable of. Well, when she’s not punch drunk.”

Indiana gulped, “Right.”

“In fact, I think for the next month you should take over downstairs cleaning duties from Alona.” Zelgadis said. 

“And this place better be spotless by the time the Eternal Queen arrives, or you will be taking over Alona’s duties permanently!” Lina added.

“Let Zel take care of disciplining them.” Leia said, “That is one nasty bump on the head.”

“But Sis is coming…” Lina protested.

“You have two days.” Leia said sharply, “And you’ll just make it worse if you push yourself too much.”

“She’s right, Miss Lina.” Amelia said.  
From behind her, Lina heard Han address the students “Go back to your dorms. Get a few hours sleep until breakfast. Classes will resume as usual today.”

A few students mumbled in protest, and Han snapped, “If you think that the Mazoku will care how well rested you are when they attack, then you’d better go home now.”

“Can I volunteer to help with the clean up?” Honor asked.

“Later. Let Indiana and Jean-Luc go at it alone for a bit.” Han said. “Now get the kids back to bed.”

“Right,” Honor said, “Follow me.” 

Lina felt the pain in her head abate under her mother’s healing spell, but the dizziness remained. “Can you get her to your bed?” Leia asked Gourry, “I don’t trust her to walk up there without falling over right now.”

“Right.” Gourry said as he effortlessly scooped Lina up.

“The kids aren’t watching, are they?” Lina asked. While she agreed she was in no shape to walk up a flight of stairs, she also didn’t want them to see her so helpless.

“They’re in the dorms.” Leia said as she and Amelia followed Gourry as he made his way up the stairs.

Lina relaxed a little, “Man, this week is off to a great start.”

“At least it was you who was injured and not a student.” Amelia said chipperly.

“I’m sure that will be a great comfort once I’m feeling better!” Lina said snarkily.

“We may want to rethink keeping the portal open.” Leia said as the got to the top of the stairs, “Keeping her around may be more dangerous than we thought.”

“Noted.” Lina said.

“Well, is that a yes, we’ll get rid of her, or are you pushing me off?” Leia asked.

“I’m pushing you off until things stop spinning and I can think straight!” Lina snapped.

“Here we are.” Gourry said as Amelia opened the door to the bedroom. “Amelia, do you have anything you can give her to help?”

Gourry laid her on the bed as Amelia said, “Yes, let me get it ready. Is it alright if you use your washstand?”

“Have at it.” Lina said as Gourry pulled the covers over her. 

“She is going to be okay?” Gourry asked.

“She just needs a bit of rest. By tomorrow she’ll be back to her usual self. But she’ll be like this for the rest of the day probably. And someone needs to keep an eye on her. I can do that for now until I leave for court.”

“I’ll take over for a bit while Gourry does his morning classes.” Leia said.

“And then I’ll pop back in at lunch.” Gourry said.

“Here, take this.” Amelia said as she handed Lina a spoonful of potion. Lina did, and then settled back onto the pillows.

“We’re going down to help Zel and your father.” Leia said. “Be back later.”

Gourry leaned forward to give her a quick peck before he left with Leia, leaving Lina alone with Amelia.

“It looks like I’ll be getting into court late.” Amelia said as she collapsed onto the couch.

“By the way,” Lina said as she turned to stare at her, “What happened to waiting to start a family?”

“Huh?” Amelia said.

“You obviously stopped your sterility spell if you’re on your period.”

“Oh,” Amelia said, “Well, since we were at my daddy’s wedding, and I obviously wasn’t pregnant, it put a lid on any rumors about why Zel and I eloped. So we decided to go ahead. Why?”

“I’m just being nosy.” Lina said as she closed her eyes as she smiled. “Don’t tell my sis, or anyone else really. But Gourry and I are trying, too. Nothing so far. Though after this morning, I’m rather thankful for that fact.”

“I was wondering!” Amelia exclaimed, “Oh, it will be so much fun when it does happen, though! And our kids can grow up to be best friends!”

“One thing at a time!” Lina said, “First the race is on to see who gets knocked up first!”

“What!?” Amelia exclaimed, “This is a competition?”

“Of course it’s a competition!” Lina said, “It makes it more fun.”

“Hm.” Amelia said, “It’s only more fun if there are stakes involved.”

“Good point. What are you wanting to put on the line if I get pregnant first?”

“Well…” Amelia said contemplatively as someone knocked on the door. “Oh, I’ll get it.”

Amelia walked over to the door and Lina didn’t bother to turn to face it. It was likely someone wanting to check in. But then when she heard who was speaking she broke out into a cold sweat. “Good morning, Princess. I heard my sister was injured and I wanted to drop in and see how she’s doing.”

“Sis!” Lina screeched as she sat up and nearly threw up as the dizziness overwhelmed her. “What are you doing here so early!? You’re not supposed to be here for another two days!”

“Well, how else are we supposed to know what’s really going on here if we give you time to make everything perfect? This is a much better way to gauge how well you’re implementing things. Now Lina, about this morning…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoping that your Monday will be better than Lina's :-)


	25. Chapter 25

“Downstairs is a chaotic mess!” Luna said as she ticked off on her finger.

“Is the Eternal Queen here!?” Lina asked.

“The Sad Lady was released and attacked the students.” Luna continued as she ticked off another finger, “You got a concussion, thank goodness it was just you that was injured. I’d hate to have to write to a distraught family that their child was killed by a ghost.”

“That would never happen!” Amelia jumped in.

Luna cocked an eyebrow at her, “Oh?”

“This school is a bastion of justice, and that noble cause will protect the students within it!” Amelia said.

“As well as it protected my sister?” Luna asked.

Amelia folded her arms across herself and said, “She survived. Even heroes of justice take a beating now and then.”

“Sis, please tell me that the Eternal Queen isn’t here!” Lina interjected.

“And the children in your charge?” Luna asked.

“They’re fine. All of them! I was the only one taking a beating tonight.” Lina said. 

“How did the Sad Lady get out in the first place?” Luna asked.

“Your concern for me is touching,” Lina said with a sigh, “Two of the students were interrogating her, and she said if they’d release the wards she’d show them where treasure was buried.”

“Why weren’t you watching them more closely?”

Lina blushed as she thought about how she wand Gourry were occupied when the Sad Lady was released, “Look, I can’t watch them constantly! I have to sleep! Everyone was tucked away when I went to bed. What am I supposed to do, lock them in their rooms?”

“If it helps you get control of them!”

“But that’s not what Miss Lina is wanting them to do.” Amelia countered.

“Excuse me?” Luna asked.

“Look, I didn’t take down Kanzeil and Dynast by following rules and staying out of locked rooms! I picked locks and let nothing stop me from getting to the bottom of the matter!” Lina defended, “And I don’t know how to encourage that need to explore and push limits without introducing them to a bit of risk! Because what I’m training these kids to do, well, they won’t be completely safe, will they? Better they learn to be risk takers in a safe environment than out there.”

“And it was a student who put the wards back on the Sad Ladies’ room!” Amelia added, “It was a practical demonstration of what they will be doing! It was a taste of what waking up to a Mazoku attacking your inn at night will be like.”

“For what I need to do I can’t run an orderly school with book learning. These kids need practical knowledge. And circumstances provided that on its own.” Lina concluded.

Luna nodded, but Lina still couldn’t get a feel for what she was thinking. Finally she asked, “Who put the ward back up?”

“Susan. With help from Marcus.”

“We will present Susan and Marcus to the Eternal Queen and let them tell her how they did it so she can see the value of your method.”

“So she’s here.” Lina said as she fell back on the pillows.

“Jeeves showed her to the blue guest room.”

“You traveled with her in the middle of the night!?” Lina exclaimed.

“We wanted to surprise you.” Luna said.

Lina shook her head, “I’m surprised. I’d better get dressed.”

“Miss Lina, you’re still recovering!” Amelia exclaimed.

“Yes, and I need to save my school.” Lina said.

“Get back in bed.” Luna said firmly, “I know all about your penchant for attracting trouble, and in an effort to replicate your successes found students with a similar knack. We were expecting as much. So long as you can defend your methods your school is safe.”

Lina relaxed slightly as she reflected that she’d gotten Luna on her side, but she was still anxious about the Eternal Queen. Finally Luna said, “I’m going to get some rest. You do so as well. See you at breakfast.”

* * *

Susan and Marcus hadn’t made much of an impression on Lina during their first week. They were both quiet and neither had said much and Lina had assumed that they had been daydreaming through class and had written them off. But as they bowed wide eyed before the Eternal Queen, Lina was glad she had underestimated them.

“So I hear that you saved the night last night.” The Eternal Queen commented.

“Yes.” Susan said, and then added, “Your Majesty.”

“How did you know you could do it?” The Eternal Queen asked.

“I didn’t.” Susan said, “But Lady Inverse had said something about how you don’t know what you’re capable of until you do it. And with all of the chaos I didn’t want to wait for one of the adults to come down. So I went in.”

“Hm.” The Eternal Queen said, and then she looked at Marcus, “And you?”

“Well, stuff was flying everywhere. And you can’t defend yourself against projectiles while your spell casting. So I figured I’d go in with her to have her back.” Marcus smiled, and Lina had to keep from chuckling as she realized that he was smitten with Susan. 

The Eternal Queen smiled, “We are pleased with your work. That initiative is what our kingdom needs.”

“Thank you.” Susan and Marcus said in unison. 

“How are you liking it here?” The Eternal Queen asked, and Lina felt her stomach lurch.

“It like it better than the guild I was at.” Susan said.

“I’m happy here.” Marcus chimed in.

“Good. You may go onto breakfast.”

Lina exhaled as they left, and then she watched the Eternal Queen nervously. Her head still ached, but she was doing her best to mask it as she sat at the breakfast table and hoped to get the meeting over with as soon as possible so she could go back to her room and lay down. Yet the queen’s next pronouncement did little to relieve Lina’s anxiety. “I’m going to have lunch with Adam, Adora and Maeve. And then we’ll talk.”

Lina bit her tongue and tasted blood. The Eternal Queen was going to make her live with the anxiety for that long!

“If you’ll excuse us,” Gourry said as he put a hand on Lina’s shoulder, “Lina needs some more rest.”

“Right.” Lina said.

“I understand. Get some good rest.” The Eternal Queen said.

* * *

Lina was feeling physically better when she sat down to dinner with Gourry, Amelia, Luna and the Eternal Queen for dinner. Fortunately the Eternal Queen wasted little time in declaring, “On the whole I am impressed. The children seem to enjoy their lessons, and you’ve even managed to arrange for some practical elements, and early in the year. Even if it did result in some destruction.”

“It’s nothing that can’t be repaired.” Lina said quickly.

“Indeed.” The Eternal Queen agreed. “Carry on for now. There are other matters to discuss. Namely, matters in the Elmekian Empire.”

Beside her, Lina felt Gourry tense as the Eternal Queen continued, “Negotiations are under way to destroy Hellmaster’s artifact. The Emperor did make a demand that Gourry return to the Elmekian Empire for a trial for stealing the Sword of Light. That was naturally unacceptable. We were surprised the Emperor was interested in the weapon.”

“It’s how things work in the Elmekian Empire.” Gourry said, “In fact the Sword of Light wasn’t talked about outside of my family because we didn’t want him stealing it. But I guess that secret is out now.”

“We are offering other concessions,” The Eternal Queen said, “The problem now is that our spies found that an assassin was hired to kill Gourry.”

“What!?” Lina exclaimed.

“Since Gourry has no children, by Elmekian law his possessions would go to his blood relatives, rather than his widow.”

Lina shook her head, “What kind of a screwy system is that?”

“If a man dies before he fathers children, then his families’ heirlooms go back to his family.” Gourry explained, “But if he dies and they go to his wife and she remarries, then they go to a rival family.”

Lina exhaled, “But we’re not in the Elmekian Empire.”

“The assassin is tasked with recovering the Blast Sword and bringing it back to Gourry’s family in the Elmekian Empire.”

“And they really think an assassin would stand a chance against us?” Lina asked.

“Does my mother know about this?” Gourry asked, his voice oddly flat.

“We don’t know.” Luna said.

“It’s about wearing me down.” Gourry said. “She knows that I don’t want to fight and kill. Especially if a cousin or other blood relative decides to give it a shot.”

“You don’t think your mother would…” Amelia whispered.

“It is what it is.” Gourry said as he stood up and walked over to the Eternal Queen. Quietly he unsheathed his sword and then grasped it by both ends before the Eternal Queen. “I hope that the Kingdom of Zeferia will accept this gift.”

“Gourry!” Lina exclaimed as felt her jaw drop, “What are you doing?”

“If the Blast Sword belongs to the Kingdom of Zeferia, then it would become an act of war if my family attempted to steal it.” He explained.

The Eternal Queen regarded him coolly, and then she took the sword. “I will take it to Zefiel City and make a public announcement. And when you next visit, we will return it to you for safe keeping.”

Lina exhaled as she put her hands to her temple and took a moment to collect her feelings before she asked, “But will this be enough to call off the hit on Gourry?”

“Hopefully.” The Eternal Queen said. “Given the situation, this is one of many where we’re seeing who blinks.”

“What else is going wrong?” Lina asked.

The Eternal Queen smiled sadly, “Communication between the Kingdom of Dils and the Elmekian Empire has increased. And the indications are that they are making an alliance.”

“You don’t think that Mazoku have infiltrated the Elmekian Empire as well?” Lina asked.

“No, but I believe the Emperor would ally himself with them if it meant expanding the borders of his empire.” The Eternal Queen explained. “What are your thoughts, Gourry?”

“I agree.” He said.

“Then how can we know that they are serious about destroying Hellmaster’s device?” Lina asked.

“That’s where the team that we discussed earlier is coming in.” The Eternal Queen explained. “They have been given orders to steal it.”

Lina bit her lip, and wondered what she was doing managing a school when all of this was going on. And while her students were certainly precocious, she still could not fathom sending them out to deal with this. They were even younger than she was when she left home for one thing. It felt as though by the time they would finally be ready to fight it would be too late. 

And then an idea struck Lina. She held onto it. In a situation such as this, it would be better to ask for forgiveness than permission.

* * *

Gourry was stoned faced as they walked into the bedroom. Quietly he sat on the couch and took off his boots. “How mad are you about the sword?” he asked quietly.

“Oh, honey.” Lina said as she sat beside him and put a hand on his back, “Well, I was mad at first, before I realized what you were doing. But that was actually a good plan. I know that the Eternal Queen will give it back to you even if you’re just keeping it safe for her.”

She felt him relax a bit beneath her. “I just feel like such an idiot.” He said.

“Since when does that bother you?” she asked teasingly, hoping to evoke a laugh from him.

“Since I put us all in danger!” he said, “Letting the spotlight fall on us? Just painted a target on me. And any children we have.”

“You really think they would target children?” she asked.

He didn’t say anything, he just sat there in ominous silence. She shook her head. “I guess I now know a bit about what you went through when Zuuma targeted me. And look, we defeated the most fearsome assassin together. We can handle whatever else they send our way.”

“We can. A baby can’t defend himself.” Gourry said.

Lina sighed, “So, what do you want to do? Wait till it’s safe? Because I don’t know when it will be safe. Even if your family isn’t targeting you for the Blast Sword, a lot of people have a lot of reasons to want to see us dead or hurt us.”

“I’ve lost my family once before.” He said quietly as his voice trailed off. 

Lina looked at him, alarmed, “Well, it won’t happen again! You didn’t have me then, and you do now. So stop worrying about all you could lose and start thinking about what you can gain, and then don’t let anything stop you from getting it!”

He smiled a little, but it didn’t seem to reach his eyes. Still, he grabbed her hand. “I’m glad I have you.”

She put her free hand over his as he kissed her on the forehead. “How’s your head?” he asked.

“It’s all healed up. Amelia knows what she’s doing.” Lina said.

“Good. I’m going to take a bath. You go ahead and rest up some more, just to be on the safe side.”

But as Lina watched him as he walked away, she couldn’t dismiss the feeling that something had broken within him and that he was pushing her away.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The events of NEXT play out a bit differently in the novels. For one thing, Lina and Gourry aren’t as close to Zel and Amelia in the novels as they are in the series, and Lina is truly scared that if Zel and Amelia had learned what was happening they would have tried to stop her and that it would have been her and Gourry versus Zel and Amelia, in addition to battling Gaav and then Phibrizo. In the novels after Lina and Sylphiel cast the double Dragon Slave, Gourry gets out of his crystal for a bit and regains consciousness before Phibrizo encases everyone in crystals again to threaten them. Lina then casts two versions of the Giga Slave. One is a weaker, incomplete version that she has every reason to believe won’t go out of control, and when she does that Phibrizo starts to attack Gourry, and she then casts the full one. OK. I think that’s all you need to know to not be lost.

“It’s too risky to leave the portal open.” Leia said over breakfast the next morning. “That ghost has it in for you, Lina! You’re lucky you only escaped with a concussion.”

“I’ve survived a lot worse!” Lina snapped as she reflected that it was a lot easier to do her job when her mother wasn’t around to fret about her.

“That’s no reason to take useless risks like this!” Leia persisted.

“Useless?” Lina retorted, “I have plans for the Sad Lady! And they are already paying off! Susan and Marcus got to practice some real world skills!”

“There are safer ways for them to do that! Lina, it’s not worth the risk.” Leia’s eyes narrowed as Lina snorted. She looked around the table as everyone else acted very interested in their breakfast, “Why don’t we take a vote?”

“Because this isn’t a democracy!” Lina yelled, “It’s my school, my house, and my decision!”

“Lina,” Gourry said quietly, “We all have to live here. Surely there’s a solution that everyone will like?”

“Gourry!” Lina yelled, and he looked back down at his breakfast. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“Closing the portal can be a project for the White Magic users.” Amelia suggested.

Lina sighed as she conceded, “I was planning that for an end of the year assignment. But not this early in the year!”

“Lina is right that we aren’t preparing these kids for a safe life. Getting used to an acceptable level of risk is something we have to prepare them for.” Zelgadis said. “And after what happened, I don’t think any other student is going to release the wards again.”

“I don’t feel that it is acceptable for kids to wake up in the middle of the night, tossed out of their bed like rag dolls!” Leia replied, “Lina, look, you were injured, but I was the one performing healing spells on the bumps and bruises the students sustained. Nothing too bad, sure, but in our second week!”

“I certainly didn’t hear you worrying when I decided to leave home when I was thirteen!” Lina retorted.

“I worried, every second of every minute that you were gone!” Leia replied, “But I knew there was no way I could stop you.”

“Then why are you trying to stop me from doing what I know best now?” Lina retorted.

“Because right now you’re wrong!” Leia yelled, “And you may be running this school, and I am still your mother and it would be nice if you treated me as such!”

“Oh brother.” Lina said. “In case you didn’t notice, I grew up! I’ve been doing fine without you for awhile now, I don’t need you butting in when it’s not needed.”

Leia reddened and stood up, and as she rushed to the door she screamed, “One day I hope you have a daughter just like you!” 

Gourry sighed as he said, “Cut her some slack.”

“Whose side are you on?” Lina shot back as she rounded on him, “What’s with this we all have to live here nonsense? You make it sound like some punishment!”

“I just think you’re too hard on her.” He said.

Lina’s eyes flashed as she looked around the room, “Great, does anyone else want to stab me in the back?”

He scowled at her, “I just don’t think you understand what you put the people who love you through with the risks that you take! If you’re going to take those risks, fine, but at least respect what it does to us to watch! Especially as you actually have a mother who gives a damn if you die!”

Lina felt as though she’d been punched in the gut. “I-I’d never thought of it that way.”

He shook his head as he stood up. “I’ve got to get class started.”

He got up to go, and Lina rose to her feet, “Don’t you dare walk out on me!”

Han grabbed Lina’s arm, “Let him go. He does have to prepare for class and you don’t want to give your students a show. You can talk after classes are done.”

Lina was about to round on him when Jeeves came in and announced, “Princess Amelia, your carriage is here.”

Lina folded her arms across her chest as Amelia and Zelgadis got up. Once they had left, Lina looked at her father and stated, “You’ve been quiet.”

“For what it’s worth, I don’t see the harm in letting the Sad Lady continue to haunt that room. But your mother would never forgive me if I contradicted her in front of you.” Lina relaxed a little as he continued, “Look, when you left you were a thirteen-year-old child living under our roof and reliant on our support. Not you’re an accomplished young woman. But we missed several years of your life and you’re not that thirteen-year-old anymore and it’s hard to wrap our minds around sometimes. If that wasn’t enough, you’re our boss and we’re reliant on you for support. And it’s been hard for your mother.”

Lina thought over what he said for a moment, and then asked, “And for you?”

“Sometimes.” He admitted, “But I’ve been working with Gourry more than you. Look, she just needs to know that you still need her.”

“But I’ve asked her ideas and…”

“Discarded them?” he finished.

“Not all the time!” Lina said.

He shrugged, “If you’re too mad to do it for her, then at least find a way to make her feel needed for me. Now, I’d better go and help Gourry get that class started.”

* * *

“So, to wrap up this section about source material,” Lina said as she turned to the chalkboard, “You will write a three page paper on Hellmaster’s device. You can choose from one of three topics. You can either research its specifications and how it is operated. You can write about its current location in the Elmekian Empire. Or you can write about how to destroy it. You will have two weeks to gather information. Go into Zefiel City over the weekend if you need to. Make sure you document your sources well.”

A few people groaned, and Lina let it wash off her back as she heard her mother come up to the door. “Any questions?”

Leia waited patiently as Lina answered them, and Lina felt her gaze sharpen. “Right, class dismissed! Go take a break.”

The students scampered out of the classroom as Leia walked up to Lina. “What are you planning?”

“What makes you think I’m planning anything?” Lina asked sweetly.

Leia pointed to the board. “Hellmaster’s device?”

“It’s a current event, and they need to be on top of it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to send them to the Elmekian Empire to destroy it.”

“And what are you going to do with the information they gather?” Leia replied.

“Grade it.”

“Lina, please tell me you aren’t doing anything to jeopardize this.” Leia said.

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing!” Lina snapped, “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and successfully. I don’t need you constantly questioning me!”

Leia huffed and got her books out, “Well then, if you don’t mind leaving, I’ve got to prepare for my class.”

“Actually,” Lina said quickly as she thought back to what her father had said. And the truth was he had been in a funk since he’d heard about the hit on his life. While Lina was sure he would shake it off with time, there was a voice in her head that kept asking what if he wouldn’t, “I do need your help with Gourry.”

Leia turned towards her and put a hand on her arm, “What’s wrong?”

Lina sighed as she sat on the desk, “He’s been in a bad place since he learned about the hit on his life, and nothing I do helps him to feel better.”

“I’m not surprised.” Leia said, “Look, we don’t know if Guloisa had anything to do with that hit on him or not, but he believes that she did. And your mother is supposed to be the one person on this earth who is supposed to love you no matter what. Everyone I know whose mother rejected them feels they are messed up in some fundamental way and then they start to question whether other people in their lives really like them or if they just want something from them.”

“Well I can’t stop Guloisa from being a heartless bitch!” Lina exclaimed.

“You need to show him that she is the one who is incapable of warmth, and that just because he doesn’t have her affection doesn’t mean that others don’t love and care for him.”

“But what more can I do? I married him!” Lina said.

“Well, between the way that Luna was breathing down you neck, and the way people’s minds tend to talk ourselves into believing the worst about themselves…” Leia said.

“Wow.” Lina replied. It would explain why he had started withdrawing from her ever since he’d talked to the Eternal Queen. “Well, I know exactly what I need to do now.”

Leia smiled, “You sound like you have a plan.”

“Oh, I can prove to that idiot what he means to me.” Lina said, and then smiled, “Thanks.”

“Come here,” Leia said as she reached out for a hug, and Lina returned it. “Are we good?”

“We’re good.” Lina said with a smile. Because when she compared her mother to Guloisa, she really had very little to complain about.

* * *

Lina was surprised when she went to her room and found that Gourry wasn’t there. Usually he was there waiting to talk to her after classes had ended. Her stomach knotted as she went to the door that connected their rooms and opened it and walked through the hallway and into his room. When she opened it he was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring straight ahead. “Hey.” He said when she came in.

“Are you mad at me?” she asked.

“No.” he said. “I just thought you may want some space.”

She sat down beside him, “In case you haven’t noticed, I like having you around. I like it when you’re there when I finish classes. Since when have I tolerated people I dislike well?”

He did smile a little, and she grabbed his hand as she tried to think about where to begin. They’d never talked about the Hellmaster ordeal. She wasn’t sure about Gourry’s reasons, he usually pestered her with questions about everything, but she couldn’t bear to think about how thoroughly she had been played. “Do you know why Hellmaster Phibrizo kidnapped you?”

He blinked in surprise that she had even brought it up, “No.”

“Because he wanted me to perform a spell that would destroy the world if I miscast it.” Lina explained. “And I knew that was what he wanted. In all honesty, I should have turned around and given you up for dead when he kidnapped you. But I couldn’t bear that thought. When you were gone…It hurt more than anything I’ve experienced. Even that stomach wound in the Battle of Sairaag was nothing compared to it.”

He bit his lip as she continued, “I knew a weaker version of the Giga Slave, and I was certain with my talisman I could cast it safely. So I went to confront Hellmaster. After I cast the weaker version he decided he was going to punish me by killing someone. And he chose you. And all I could think was that I needed to stop him from killing you, no matter what! So I cast the full spell, even though it could have destroyed the world.”

“But, when I first woke up, you hit me for letting myself get kidnapped!” he countered.

Lina flushed, “That was because we thought Sylphiel had nabbed the bastard with a Dragon Slave! I…was pretty sure as soon as you’d learned she’d saved you that you would fall all over her. And I was mad at you for it.”

“Huh?” he said.

“Look, I loved you so much I nearly destroyed the world to save you! I knew the consequences, but I didn’t care! I just wanted you to live. And it wasn’t just me who cared about your ass. Zel had asked me what Hellmaster’s plan was, and I would have been in trouble if I’d had to tell him, because he and Amelia would have united against me. But Amelia insisted that they didn’t need to know, because they wanted to save you, and learning the truth would have caused them to change their minds. Those bastions of rigid morality deliberately kept themselves in the dark because they believed that you were worth saving. People care about you, idiot brain and all! People with all their screws tightened at least.”

He looked at her, his eyes brimming and his voice weak, “What makes you think I don’t know that?”

She shrugged, “I just figured it was time to let you know.”

He wiped his eyes, “Hey Lina, if you were that hurt when I was gone, does that mean that you cried over me?”

Lina felt the steam rise from her head as she straightened, “WHAT!?”

“I’m just wondering if you lay in bed, crying into your pillow, missing me.” He said as he wrapped his arms around her.

“You idiot!” she screamed, “That’s not how you’re supposed to react when I confess something like that!” 

“What am I supposed to do, then?” he asked as he touched his forehead with hers.

“You’re supposed to be so awe struck and overwhelmed with my love and beauty that you kiss me passionately!”

“Right.” He said as he pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers and then wasted little time in deepening the kiss. He continued to press forward until she found herself flat on her back on the bed as his hands started roaming her body. She was breathless as he pulled away to ask, “Is that passionate enough?”

She pulled him back to her as she moved her body against his, “Keep going!”

He continued to kiss her mouth for a few moments, before he moved to her ear, taking the time to whisper, “I still want to know if you cried.”

She sighed as he started nuzzling at her neck, “Well, you have your work cut out ahead of you. Because I don’t give my secrets out easily.”

“Challenge accepted.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not deliberately plan for there to be a theme of mothers and children on Mother’s Day, just like I didn’t plan for the ghost story on Halloween, but it worked out how it worked out. And once this chapter materialized I knew I had to get it out today…even if there’s only 2 hours left in the day. So Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there, and those of you who struggle with your mothers or did not have loving ones and this day is painful, you’re not alone.
> 
> I watched Slayers NEXT with my kids today. My daughter has had a mild interest for a while, and finally got my son into it. Yay!


	27. Chapter 27

“A good swordsman is always aware of everything and everyone in his vicinity.” Gourry explained to a group of students as they stood in a circle on the sparring field. “He is not only aware of who he is fighting, but where his allies are and where his other enemies are. The focus is on who you are fighting, but the awareness needs to encompass everyone.”

Eerily as if on cue, Gourry sensed a strange presence coming towards them. He took a deep breath, “Take a moment now and let me know how many people are here now.”

Several of the kids closed their eyes, while others appeared more effortless as they focused. Eventually Bruce said, “Twenty-four.” 

“Yes, twenty-four.” Pippi said.

“Twenty-five.” Susan said.

“What are you talking about?” Pippi asked.

“I sense him, too.” Ripley said. “He’s coming this way.”

The students appeared divided between those who couldn’t detect the extra person and those who could. Gourry said quietly, “Yes, he is. Is he a friendly or unfriendly presence?”

“I can’t tell.” Ripley said.

“What does your gut say?” Gourry asked.

“I don’t trust him.” Susan said quickly.

“Look!” Peter said as he pointed at a man dressed in the robes of a shamanist magic user who was approaching them.

Gourry had to note that the man was trying too hard to radiate trustworthy vibes, which immediately raised his suspicions. And Susan had thus far proved to have remarkable instincts. “Can I help you?” Gourry asked as the man came up to them.

“Yes, are you Gourry Gabriev?”

“Yes.” Gourry replied as the sense rose that the man he was talking to was not really a man. A Mazoku? Gourry’s hand moved to his sword, the plain metal one that he’d carried since the Eternal Queen had left with the Blast Sword. He had very little to defend the students and himself with should he attack. 

“I am Stover, and I’d heard about your school and was wondering if I could lend my services. I know some very obscure shamanist magic and I do believe that your wife would be interested.”

“We’re at full staff, though if you let me know where you’re staying I’ll pass the information on to Lina.”

“I’m staying at the inn in the village until I can get a more permanent situation.”

“Right. Now, if you could leave, I have to get back to my lessons.”

Stover chuckled, and the hair on the back of Gourry’s neck stood up. From the west, Han broke away from the group of students he was teaching and came over to them, “Everything okay?” he asked.

“He was just passing through.” Gourry said regarding Stover.

Stover tipped his hat, “Good day to you.” Then he turned and headed back on the road. 

Gourry exhaled as he disappeared and Han asked, “What was that about?”

“We need to talk to Lina.”

* * *

Before Gourry had a chance to talk to Lina at lunch they had found a new thing to puzzle over. A missive from the queen that she was sending a carriage to them to take them to see her for an audience after Lina finished her class. Between Stover and the audience, they had plenty to speculate about, speculations that, by the time they actually reached the palace, were wearing thin.

“But why would the Eternal Queen summon us?” Gourry asked for the umpteenth time as they were escorted through the palace. For his part, he was convinced there was a connection, some escalation on the part of the Kingdom of Dils or trouble with the Elmekian Empire.

“I guess we’ll see in a few minutes.” Lina said, trying to keep the irritation from her voice. With a strange person sniffing around the school, she wasn’t happy about being called away, but when your monarch beckons you don’t refuse.

Eventually they got to the throne room and bowed before the queen. “You asked to see us, your Majesty.” Lina said.

“Yes.” The Eternal Queen said. “This weekend Maeve stopped by for lunch. She told me about your assignment with Hellmaster’s device. She asked me to tell her everything I know about it.”

Lina’s mouth dropped as she wondered why she hadn’t thought of the possibility of one of the queen’s descendants using her as a referral source, “Well, that explains why her report was so thorough.”

Gourry looked at Lina, “What’s this about?”

“We’ve been studying source material. I had the students demonstrate what they’d learned by researching Hellmaster’s device.”

“Including information on where it is currently held?” The Eternal Queen asked.

“When you’re searching for treasure, it’s important to know how to shake down rumors and follow leads.” Lina defended. “If I didn’t know how to do that then I wouldn’t have found the Claire Bible, or the Blast Sword.”

“I hope I do not need to repeat that you are forbidden from stepping foot into the Elmekian Empire.” The Eternal Queen said sternly, and Lina felt the sweat form on her brow.

“No, your majesty.” Lina said.

“Or Ray Wing.”

“I understand.” Lina said as she felt a pit in her stomach now that that loophole was closed.

The Eternal Queen considered her for a moment, “Did you uncover anything about its location that could be of use to our agents?”

Lina felt her stomach clench, but she also knew that there was no way around it. “I can send the papers down tonight if you like. You can go over them yourself.”

“I’d appreciate that. Meanwhile,” The Eternal Queen said as she reached beside her and brought out the Blast Sword, “I’ve made quite the spectacle of carrying this around for the past few weeks, and both the ambassador to the Elemkian Empire and Guloisa are aware that it belongs to the Kingdom of Zeferia now. It is time to return it to our knight for safekeeping.”

She handed it to Gourry, who exhaled as he accepted it. “Thank you, your majesty.” He said as he attached it to his sword belt.

“The timing couldn’t be better.” Lina said. 

“How do you mean?” The Eternal Queen asked.

Lina explained about the visit from Stover that morning. The Queen showed no noticeable reaction when she finished, she just seemed tired as she said, “Thank you for telling me. I will have Luna do some research. You must want to get back to your school with all that is going on. You may leave.” The Eternal Queen said sharply, “And Lina. See that my trust in you is not misplaced.”

* * *

“Those kids are going to have my neck when I tell them I won’t have their papers returned and graded tomorrow!” Lina moaned as she got into the carriage with Gourry.

He scowled at her, “Were you planning to go to the Elmekian Empire?”

“What does it matter?” Lina asked.

“When were you going to tell me?”

“It doesn’t matter, does it?”

He shook his head as he folded his arms across his chest sternly as the air in the carriage became heavy with words that were unsaid. Lina bristled defensively and waited for him to pounce and preach and lecture. Any moment he was going tear into her. 

When he spoke, it was quietly but with conviction, “If you must go, tell me. I won’t try to talk you out of it or lecture you.”

“You agree with me?” she asked.

He sighed, “No. But the thought of what could happen to you there if you get caught if you don’t have someone to watch your back, well, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened.”

“I’m not going to do anything.” She said as she took his hand.

“Look, I’d much rather lose Maninstit than lose you, if it came down to it.”

“As it is I don’t really feel comfortable leaving Maninstit, especially if strange people are coming by.” Lina said as she looked out the window. “But then…”

“Huh?”

“It could be to frighten me into staying close to home and away from where the action is.” Lina mused.

Gourry exhaled, and wondered if they had truly thought through the consequences of what they had gotten into.

* * *

“Big news!” Amelia exclaimed as she entered the library. Lina and Leia looked away from grading papers and at her as she sat down on the sofa. “Hellmaster’s device has been secured! The agents are on their way back to Zeferia.”

Lina breathed a sigh of relief as Leia scrutinized Amelia. “Well, that’s one weight off our shoulders.”

“And it’s good timing, too.” Leia said with an enigmatic smile. “Excuse me.”

“Timing?” Lina repeated as Leia left the library. Lina shook her head, “Well, I’ll sleep better tonight. Even more so when they are on Zeferian soil.”

“I’ve been so wiped it actually hasn’t been keeping me up.” Amelia said as she leaned back on the couch.

“This traveling back and forth from the palace isn’t too much on you, is it?”

Amelia shrugged, “I’m just off this week. I can push through!”

Leia returned and walked up to Amelia and handed her a small bag. She giggled, patted Amelia on the shoulder, and then turned around and walked away. Amelia blinked in confusion as she opened the bag. “Pickles? What’s that about?”

Lina felt her jaw drop as she swiped at the air. “Pickles! Damn! I’ve been waiting for her to give me some.”

“Huh?” Amelia asked.

“Oh! You just won our little bet. Go ahead and invite your daddy here so he can be there for the big day.” Lina said as she folded her arms across herself and tried to be a good sport.

“Hold it! What do you mean I won?” Amelia said.

“Mom has a sixth sense. She just knows when someone is pregnant and she’s never wrong.” Lina explained, “When people would come to our store she’d give them a bag of complimentary pickles if she knew they were pregnant. Once word got round women would shop at our store just to see if they were in the family way. Brought in a lot of good business.” 

“Well, I am late.” Amelia said, “I didn’t want to get my hopes up. But if you say…”

“Go and check if you want.” Lina said as she looked at the floor.

Amelia suddenly squealed and threw her arms around her, “Oh this will be so fun! You’ll be next! Don’t you worry.”

“Right.” Lina said as she smiled, even as she did worry about how Gourry would take this. 

“I’m going to tell Zel!”

“Tell me what?” Zelgadis asked as he walked into the library, a load of books in his arms.

Amelia walked up and spread her arms wide, “Do you notice anything different?”

Zelgadis looked as though he was a man who knew he was walking into dangerous territory. “Is that a new dress? It’s very pretty!”

“No, silly!” Amelia replied, “Don’t you see me glowing with the shine of the love and power of the newest Hero of Justice growing in my belly?”

Lina blanched and got up. If Amelia was going to carry on in that vein she was going to have to find a different room! Zelgadis’ mouth, meanwhile, dropped. “Really?”

“Um-hum!”

“But why did you tell Lina first?”

“She just happened to be here when I got the news!” Amelia said, “And it won’t leave this room! No one else but us will know! Well, I will need to tell my daddy. But other than that, no one else will know. I mean, your mom won’t tell, will she?”

“No, she can keep a secret.” Lina explained on her way out.

Zelgadis smiled and opened his arms, “Come here!”

As she rushed to embrace him, Lina shook her head as she closed the door behind her, “That’s just me leaving now, since you two don’t know how to get a room!”

* * *

A bright light woke him, causing Gourry to see orange through his closed eye lids. Confused, he opened his eyes, and saw that a golden glow was emanating from Lina. He sat up in the bed and blinked a few times, and then it vanished. He continued to stare at Lina for a moment, and when nothing happened he decided he had had one of those waking dreams.

His stomach rumbled, and he decided to sneak down to the kitchen for a late night snack. He took a moment to kiss Lina on the forehead and then got out of bed and grabbed his robe and his sword, quickly dressing before he left the room.

As he approached the dining room he was surprised to find that he was not the only one who was awake! When he got into the room he saw Zelgadis sitting at the table, nursing a drink. “Hey, Zel.” Gourry said.

“Hey. Couldn’t sleep?”

“I was hungry.”

“No surprise there.” Zel said as Gourry found the platter that Nelly left for them.

“What about you? You don’t usually raid the kitchen at night.”

“Well, we’re not supposed to announce it yet, but Amelia has already written half of Saillune. Anyway, she’s pregnant.”

“Oh!” Gourry said as he put a hand on Zelgadis’ shoulder. He was sure Lina would follow that path soon, and then their children could play together and grow up to be friends. “That’s wonderful! Congrats!”

But Zel took a drink. Gourry raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Nerves! I was excited at first. But then I had a nightmare!”

“What, did you dream that something bad happened to Amelia? She’s tough, she’ll be fine.”

“Well, now that you say that it sounds silly.” Zelgadis said sheepishly.

Gourry raised his eyebrow, “What did you dream then?”

“Well…my father-in-law. Prince Philionel. Have you met him?”

“Yes.” Gourry said.

“It’s just…I had a dream that the baby looked just like him!”

“Well,” Gourry said as he nearly choked on his sandwich, “I know Phil is a bit unattractive, but if that’s the biggest thing you have to worry about, then you’re a lucky man, right?

“Now that I say it out loud it does sound shallow.” Zelgadis agreed sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it! You’ll love that baby no matter who he looks like!” Gourry said, and then a pit of unease settled in his stomach. He set his sandwich down.

“What?” Zelgadis asked.

“Something feels wrong.”

Zelgadis pushed his drink away from him, “I must have dulled my senses.”

“Let’s go upstairs. Do you have your sword?” 

Zelgadis patted his hip. They nodded at each other and headed up the stairs.

* * *

The sense of unease grew as they reached the second floor, growing until it morphed into a full on sense of bloodlust that emanated from a suit of armor a few hundred feet from Lina’s room. Gourry and Zelgadis exchanged a look, and then each drew their swords as Gourry called, “I know you’re there!”

There was a low, menacing laughter, and then the suit fell over and jewels fell out of it. He felt someone rush towards him, and he moved to parry the blow. Zelgadis cried, “Don’t touch the jewels!”

But it was too late. Gourry could not avoid them as they spilt across the floor like a sparkly blanket. And as soon as his bare feet touched them, they exploded.


	28. Chapter 28

Lina woke with an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach. It grew as she realized that Gourry was not in bed beside her. She sat up, hoping that he had just gone down to the kitchen for a snack as she grabbed her robe when she felt a sense of bloodlust emanate from the hallway. She raced to the door as, from the other side, she heard Gourry call, “I know you’re there!”

 

The laughter that followed chilled her, and then Zel’s warning was drowned out by the horrific sound of an explosion, the force of which closed the door that Lina had tried to open! She had better luck the second time, but the first thing she noticed when she opened it was that Gourry was nowhere to be seen in the hallway that she started racing down. She managed to stop right before she fell through the hole in the floor. She avoided looking down as her eyes fell on the Mazoku by the head of the stairs. She couldn’t afford to lose track of him.

 

“Gourry!” Zel called. He was crouched against the wall, cut and bleeding and he looked as though he was unable to move. Down the hallway, doors were thrown open as her parents and Amelia raced out to see what was happening.

 

Lina felt herself disconnect from her emotions. The Mazoku was at the head of the stairs and about to go down. “Ray Wing!” Lina cried as she shot over the hole and towards the Mazoku, who was rushing down the stairs and towards the dorms! Already the students were filling the foyer, bleary eyed and tousle haired, as they investigated the explosion.

 

Han reached the stairs at the same time she did, and they raced down together after the Mazoku. “Get back!” Lina called to the kids.

 

The Blast Sword gleamed in the Mazoku’s hands, and Lina felt her fear spike despite her best efforts. How could he have gotten it from Gourry unless…

 

But then she saw the handful of red ruby jewels in his hand. “Kids, wind shields!” Lina yelled as he threw his hand back to pitch them forward.

 

Lina ducked under hers, and she felt her father crouch behind her as explosion rippled through the foyer. But the shield protected them from the heat and debris. Lina could only hope that the kids had gotten theirs up in time!

 

As soon as she dared, Lina stood up and found the Mazoku gathering a powerful amount of energy in his hands. But for some reason he was facing the children, who were still huddled behind their wind shields, “Stop!” Lina yelled as she moved between the Mazoku and her students, “Let’s finish this, you and me, outside!”

 

 Lina was fully prepared for him to attack. What she wasn’t prepared for was him to take a step back and gasp. “How is this possible!” he cried.

 

_How is what possible?_ Lina thought as she started chanting a spell. He backed away again, his own magic faltering in his hand. On the one hand it sounded conceited to believe that she could strike that kind of fear into a Mazoku, but at the same time, she was now well known for killing them. What did she had to lose? “Stand down!”

 

Amazingly he did as he let the spell die. Behind her she could hear the kids whisper. Lina continued to keep her gaze on the Mazoku. “Where’s Gourry?” She demanded to know.

 

Lina wasn’t sure what she was expecting, but a straight answer was not it. “He fell through the floor, Mother.”

 

_Mother?_

 

“Give me back his sword!” Lina ordered.

 

“Yes, Mother.” The Mazoku said as he sat the sword down.

 

“Who sent you?” Lina asked.

 

The Mazoku quivered, and then he started to race towards the door. Lina took a deep breath. She may have frightened the bastard, but she knew better than to push her luck and chase after him. Especially when so many people needed her here. The door slammed shut behind him as he let himself out.

 

“How did you do that?” someone asked, but Lina didn’t take the time to answer. As soon as he was gone she dashed down the hallway to the wing where their bedroom was overhead. It didn’t take her long to find the pile of debris and blood on the floor directly below the gaping hole in the ceiling. But Gourry was not there. “Levitation!” Lina yelled, and she managed to make it through the jagged hole in the ceiling without getting caught on it.

 

She raced to her room and opened the door and found Amelia standing by the bed and chanting a Resurrection spell. Lina got to the bed and put her hand over her mouth as the smell of burned flesh and hair made her nauseous. His wounds were bad. His right leg was gone, as were several fingers, and in addition to being burned from the explosion he had caught a lot of shrapnel on the way down. Shrapnel that Amelia hadn’t removed yet.

 

“Lina!” Leia exclaimed from the couch where she was healing Zelgadis.

 

“How’s Gourry?”

 

“Amelia says he’ll make it. She doesn’t know how he managed to survive that, but we’re not complaining.” Zelgadis said as he shook his head. Lina had never seen him look so shaken before. “I don’t think anyone else could have sustained wounds like that and survived.”

 

“But he’s going to be okay!” Lina said.

 

“Yes,” Leia said reassuringly, “With Amelia’s condition giving her magic a boost, she’ll be able to heal him and grow his leg back.”

 

Lina breathed a sigh of relief as she got close to the bed. She wanted to grab his hand but was scared of hurting him if she did. “Don’t scare me like that, you useless idiot!” She murmured.

 

She was hoping he’d respond, but he was soundly asleep. It was probably for the best. The pain he would be in were he awake would be terrible. She closed her eyes and worked to calm herself down, “I’m here. Damn, I always said I never really believed anything could really kill you. Let’s not get this close to testing that idea again, okay?”

 

“Are the kids okay?” Leia suddenly pounced, “And your father? We heard explosions.”

 

“Dad is fine.” Lina said, “Several students got wind shields up, I think everyone is fine. Downstairs is a mess. I guess I should check on things.”

 

But she stayed by Gourry. Amelia looked at her sympathetically, “It will be awhile until he wakes up.”

 

Lina nodded and took a deep breath, “Right. You work on getting better. I’ll be back.”

 

* * *

 

When Lina got downstairs she found that the ground floor was going to need some extensive repair work. But at least there were no bodies in the hallway. She could hear voices from the classroom, and found her father talking to them as several students sat on benches where they received healing spells from other students. They looked at her in amazement as she came in. “How did you do that?” Peter asked.

 

“What?” Lina replied.

 

“You didn’t so much as fire a shot, and that Mazoku did what you said and ran with his tail between his legs!” Peter said.

 

Lina bit her lip. She was just as baffled by it as they were. “I don’t know how I did it. Is everyone alright?”

 

“Just a few scratches, Kara got it the worst with a large splinter going through her hand, but she’s better now.” Han explained, “Fortunately they were able to get up shield spells in time. But there’s still undetonated jewels all over the place.”

 

Lina exhaled. That was a new problem in and of itself. “But why attack the students? We knew Gourry had a hit on his life, but why would the Elmekians send a Mazoku? And why would they try to kill the kids?”

 

“I have some ideas. None of them good.” Han said. “First, though, we’ve got to figure out what to do about the jewels. Just touching one will set them off!”

 

“Explosives are kind of my thing.” Ace said, “There’s a spell to make them inert, though it’s a bit tricky, I can do it.”

 

Lina exhaled at the thought of sending her on such a dangerous mission. Still, it wasn’t as though they had a lot of options. “Okay. And we’re going to need to make sure it’s thorough and that we get all of them. It’s going to be a long night, folks.”

* * *

 

Lina had watched as Ace deactivated several jewels while some of the older students carefully walked the hallway to look for other ones. When Leia came down to help, Lina decided to take some time to go back upstairs to check on Gourry. He was starting to stir as she came in, and he looked a lot better than he had when she left. His fingers had been regrown, the shrapnel removed, and his skin healed. Amelia was still working on his leg. Lina closed the door behind her and walked over to him and grabbed his hand, “Idiot. Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

 

“You sounded like you were worried.” He murmured as he turned to face her and opened his eyes.

 

“Shh.” Amelia said, “Conserve your strength right now and don’t talk.”

 

Luckily, Lina didn’t need Gourry to say a word to fill the silence, and she decided to take the time to fill them in on everything that had happened.

 

* * *

 

“How is Gourry?” Luna asked. She had arrived late in the morning and was now seated at the dining table with a strong cup of coffee.

 

Lina took a drink from her own cup. The caffeine was the only thing keeping her awake. “He’ll be fine. He’s resting. So is Zel. His injuries weren’t as bad as Gourry’s, but they were pretty bad.”

 

Luna looked at Amelia, “Are you okay?”

 

Amelia put a hand on her stomach, “Experiences like this while growing inside of me will just make this little one a fiercer warrior for justice! We’re fine.”

 

_Um, right_. Lina thought as she resisted the urge to shake her head. At least she wasn’t having to write Phil and explain that his daughter was now a pregnant widow or worse, dead herself.

 

“Are you still liking Guloisa for this?” Han asked as he poured Leia another cup of coffee.

 

“No, actually.” Luna said, and everyone looked at her expectantly, “The Elmekian ambassador came to court first thing this morning to deny all involvement and to point the finger at Guloisa. The problem is, the ambassador knew about the attack before your message even reached us, and they knew details of the attack that were highly suspicious, such as that the Mazoku threw ruby explosives to attack Gourry.”

 

“That’s true.” Han said, “We’ve been up all night finding every damn one of them.”

 

“I just still worry that we missed one. It could be hidden in a floorboard, just waiting for when we get complacent.” Leia fretted.

 

“It’s a highly unusual way for a Mazoku to attack, though.” Lina said. “But very lethal. I guess they realized they need to change their strategy. If I’m hearing right, though, you don’t think Guloisa was behind this?”

 

“When we questioned Guloisa, she seemed genuinely in the dark for once.”

 

“Gourry would warn against underestimating her.” Lina said as she exchanged a look with her father, who took his own long sip of coffee. “At the same time, we can’t figure out why, if this was an attack on Gourry, would they would have targeted the children? Or why they would send a Mazoku to do this.”

 

“Or for that matter, why they didn’t attempt to take out the most powerful person in the building.” Han said.

 

“We’re thinking that this was meant to look like an attack on Gourry’s life using his family drama as a cover, when it was really an attack on this school and our attempt to train future Mazoku hunters.” Luna explained. “I think for now the Mazoku race is too scared to confront Lina directly, though they would never admit it. However, if a group of students under Lina’s care are harmed or killed, then Zeferians would lose confidence in this project and call for the school to close. I think we have someone high up on the chain scared and they wanted to ruin this school before it had a chance. And then, whoever is responsible, can point the finger at the Gabrievs and deny responsibility.”

 

Lina exhaled. “OK. I can see Dils doing something like this. But why would the Elmekian Empire care unless they have been infiltrated?”

 

“I think it may have been to forge an alliance with Dils to counteract the one that we have formed with Saillune and Kalmaart. I’m not sure if the Elmekian Empire has been infiltrated, but it’s only a matter of time.” Luna said. “Elmekia isn’t even trying to work with us anymore. The team that recovered Hellmaster’s device never made it to the rendezvous point, and we lost contact with them before they reached the border. It’s all looking rather bad right now.”

 

“Damn.” Lina said as she wondered just how much worse the situation could get.

 

“The Eternal Queen told me that if you have a plan, now is the time to use it.”

 

“That bad?” Lina said as she felt torn between jumping up and yelling, “I told you so!” and put on the spot now that she was expected to have a plan.

 

Luna nodded as she pulled out a stack of papers, and Lina recognized them as the ones the students had written on Hellmaster’s device. Lina grabbed them even as she shook her head. “I guess I’d better start going through this. Mind you, I’d be a lot further along if they’d never been taken in the first place!”

 

“That was the Eternal Queen and not me.” Luna said as she handed Lina another stack of papers, “Here’s our latest intelligence about where the device is and who has it.”

 

Lina nodded as she rolled up her sleeves, “Tell Nellie to put another pot of coffee on. It’s going to be a long day.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exploding jewels never make it into the novels, though in the "Hourglass of Falces" manga Luke made them. Lately kaette-kita has also been doing wonderful translations of interviews with Kanzaka on Tumblr, and the good news is there is a lot more information about what is cannon out there, the bad news is it gives me fits when I get anything wrong...but then after reading the interviews and seeing how Kanzaka contradicts himself at times, we'll just sweep it under the rug, ok ;-)


	29. Chapter 29

“Did I do something wrong?” Jean-Luc asked as he stood before Lina, Luna and Amelia.

 

_Well if that’s not an indication of a guilty conscience,_ Lina thought as she raised her eyebrow at him questioningly and watched him squirm. “You and Indy…”

 

“We’re been a lot more cautious since we released the Sad Lady!” he said, and Lina folded her arms across her chest and continued to stare him down. He sighed, “Okay, so last weekend when Farmer Brown’s dog got out and dug up the cabbage patch, it might have been because Indy and I thought about training him to sniff out treasure.”

 

Lina could feel Luna glaring at her, obviously wondering why she was wasting time with this. Lina smiled a little.

 

“I’ll send you over to Farmer Brown’s later.” Lina said as shook her head and pulled out the paper he had written, “Actually, the reason I called you here was this.”

 

Jean-Luc’s eyes widened as he realized he’d just revealed his guilt unnecessarily. Luna, meanwhile, continued, “You wrote about the current location of Hellmaster’s device, and I was impressed. Your information was in line with our own sources, and miles more accurate than any of your other students.”

 

“Does that mean I get an A?”

 

Lina bopped him on the forehead. “It means that we need more information, and quickly. We need to know where a team that we sent after Hellmaster’s device went, and we need to know where it currently is.”

 

“But what about the sources you have?” Jean-Luc asked.

 

“We need this information as fast as possible.” Lina explained. “So it’s all hands on deck. We need all of the information that you can gather on this by tonight!”

 

“Tonight!?” he repeated.

 

“So don’t waste time. You can take Indy with you. But stay away from Farmer Brown and any other diversions! Lives are on the line so keep your eye on the prize. Get going and get that information gathered!” Lina said.

 

“Right.” He said, and then he turned and walked out the door, nearly running into Jeeves as he did.

 

“Careful, lad.”

 

“Sorry,” Jean-Luc said as he moved around Jeeves, who came into the dining room.

 

“The Eternal Queen is here, along with Princess Gracia of Saillune.”

 

“Sis!?” Amelia exclaimed as she stood up.

 

“Oh, why can’t anyone important ever stop by when the place is tidy?” Lina groused as she pulled at her hair.

 

“After what happened last night, no one will judge.” Luna said as she jabbed her sister in the ribs.

 

Meanwhile, Amelia sprang up and practically bowed Jeeves over as she ran into the hallway and cried, “Sis!”

 

And then Lina heard the laugh. “It can’t be!” she said as she turned blue in horror as her parents shuddered. She raced out into the hallway and saw Naga standing there with the Eternal Queen. Jean-Luc and Indy were in the foyer as well, staring in open mouth shock at the nearly naked woman who was hugging Amelia. And was it her imagination, or was Indiana drooling!?

 

“Argh!” Lina screamed as she grabbed Naga, tore her away from her sister and pushed her into the dining room, “Get in here before you sully this place’s reputation and jumpstart half of this school’s population into an early puberty!”

 

“And I thought you’d be happy to see me!” Naga said as Lina slammed the door in her face and then turned to the remaining people in the foyer.

 

“Don’t you have something to do!?” Lina snapped at Jean-Luc and Indiana, who shut their mouths, nodded and ran off. Lina shook her head and decided it was a good thing that the foyer was destroyed and that most of the kids were either out in the yard or in the dorms and not mulling about. She then looked at the Eternal Queen and Amelia. Amelia looked baffled, while the Eternal Queen looked as though she was trying to suppress a laugh. Lina sighed, “I am so sorry about that. And this mess. We’re still waiting for a carpenter to fix all this.”

 

“Given what happened last night I am just glad it was a building that was damaged, and not a student. And we’re also relieved that Gourry was not killed.” The Eternal Queen said.

 

Lina took a breath, and then she heard Naga laugh from the dining room. “I guess we’d better get in there. Right this way.”

 

Lina walked in and found Naga laughing as Leia stared at her in shock while she held her hands over Han’s eyes.

 

“So,” Leia said, “You’re Amelia’s sister?”

 

“You’re a Saillune princess!?” Lina snapped.

 

“You know each other?” Amelia asked.

 

“Is it really so surprising?” Naga asked, though whether she was talking to Amelia or Lina was unclear.

 

“Then why do you dress like…” Leia asked as she stumbled to find word that would be respectful and finally settled for, “…that!”

 

Naga laughed, and Amelia said, “It used to be the fashion. Sis is very traditional.”

 

“Oh. I see.” Leia said as she shook her head as Han stood up and muttered something about checking on how the students were doing and left.

 

“We don’t judge other people’s cultural traditions.” The Eternal Queen said diplomatically. “Especially when they are going to help us with securing Hellmaster’s device.”

 

“You’re relying on her!?” Lina exclaimed.

 

“Hey! I’m a better sorceress than you ever were!” Naga replied.

 

“Oh don’t even…”

 

“Lina…” Luna said warningly.

 

“Look, you may be bowed over by the fact that she somehow happens to be royalty, but if you knew what a load of…”

 

“Think carefully about what you say next, Lina.” The Eternal Queen said, and Lina folded her arms across herself and sat down, looking thunderous. Luna stepped on her foot, and Lina kicked her back in the shin. Lina sensed Luna’s arm flex as she grabbed her butter knife, and Lina decided it wasn’t worth being humiliated in front of Naga and did her best to compose her face into one of polite neutrality.

 

“Welcome to Maninstit. I’m so surprised to see you again. I had thought that chapter of my life had closed, but, surprise! Here you are.” Lina said as she put as much sugar and sweetness into her voice to mask the sarcasm as she possibly could as Luna facepalmed. Lina decided that even if Luna was going to give it to her later, it would be worth it, “Why don’t you take a seat?”

 

“Now that you’re giving me the proper respect, I will!” Naga said as she sat down, and Lina bit her lip on her retort and tasted blood.

 

Alona came in to ask about what refreshments they wanted. Once she’d left the Eternal Queen got straight to business, “We had hoped it would not come to this with Hellmaster’s device. But it looks as though we are going to have to send a multinational group there to destroy the device. Several kingdoms will be joining us, to ensure that the device does not fall into the hand of a single nation. And the plan is to destroy it rather than remove it from the Elmekian Empire.

 

“Time is of the essence. We have a representative from the Ducky of Kalmaat and, several from the Alliance of Coastal States, one from the Kingdom of Ralteague and one from the Kingdom of Lyzeille, all of whom should get here by tomorrow morning. I will be sending Princess Maeve as my envoy on behalf of Zeferia. It is time she started to handle serious tasks. Lina, I would like for you and Gourry to accompany her.”

 

“But,” Lina said as she felt torn between the need to be in two places at once, “After the attack today, who will watch over the school?”

 

“I will.” Luna said.

 

Lina took a deep breath as the Eternal Queen continued, “Given Princess Amelia’s condition it’s a good thing Princess Gracia came through to represent Saillune.”

 

“What condition?” Naga asked.

 

But before Amelia could answer, Zelgadis walked in. “Oh, honey, I was hoping you would take the rest of the day to rest!” Amelia said as she walked up to him.

 

“I’m fine,” he said, and then he caught a glimpse of Naga and his jaw dropped as his face turned red. “Wh…why is someone dressed like that here!?”

 

“Like what?” Naga replied, “This is proper attire for a princess.”

 

“A what!?” Zelgadis shrieked.

 

“Zel, this is my sister, Gracia, but we call her Naga.” Amelia said, “Sis, this is my husband, Zel.”

 

“Your sister!?” Zelgadis bellowed.

 

Naga, meanwhile, grinned wide as she got up, flung her arms out, grabbed Zelgadis and wrapped him in a big bear hug, quashing his face right under her chin and over her breasts. Lina blushed, and resolved that princess or not, if she did that to Gourry she would kill her where she stood. Zelgadis, meanwhile, let out a strangled sound as he tried to push himself away from her as Naga exclaimed, “I always wanted a brother! Welcome to the family!”

 

“Oh, you’re getting along so well!” Amelia crooned as she clasped her hands together and nestled them against her face as Zelgadis succeeded in getting out of Naga’s grasp, looking red faced and terrified, and sat as far from Naga as possible, “I’m so happy we’re going to be one big happy family!”

 

“You and Daddy always did take such a rosy view of things.” Naga quipped as she sat back down.

 

“You think it’s okay for her to go walking around in that!?” Zelgadis asked in disbelief as he averted his eyes from Naga, “We’re a school!”

 

“Oh, stop being so silly.” Amelia said, and Zelgadis looked as though he was going to explode as Lina shook her head and reflected that at least they would be leaving with Naga soon. And then it hit her like a punch in the gut. They would be leaving with Naga and Gourry. Gourry would see Naga. And Gourry would probably like what he saw. Lina felt sick as Amelia, apparently bound and determined to ignore the bad blood that was forming, said, “Sis! Guess what! Zel and I are going to have a baby. You’re going to be an auntie!”

 

Zelgadis sat at the table, and he looked to be questioning what he had married in to while Naga looked Amelia over. “You don’t look pregnant.”

 

“It’s still early.” Amelia said with a wave of her hand.

 

Lina decided to cut in and get things back on track, “I’m not objecting. I’ve felt I needed to be in the Elmekian Empire. But why have you changed your mind on this?”

 

“When we first found out about Hellmaster’s device, we did not have the alliance we now have with Saillune, Kalmaat and Lyzeille.” The Eternal Queen explained, “We needed to be sure that our intentions wouldn’t be misread and spun as an act of aggression. You have no idea the propaganda that is being spun about you in Dils and the Elmekian Empire. Taking the time to form this alliance was a calculated risk. If they got the spell quickly it would have been the wrong one decision. But they didn’t. I felt we had the time to make an alliance and give you justification and cover for being there. With other nations being present, no one can accuse you of attempting to destroy cities or for Zeferia to be up to ill good.”

 

The Queen sighed as she shook her head, “We had hoped we wouldn’t have to use you. But after losing our first team, I can’t justify sending anyone else but you this time. And given the nature of Hellmaster’s device, it will take a weapon like the Blast Sword to destroy it. And I would not like to take that weapon from Gourry to bestow it upon another.”

 

“Right.” Lina said, “I guess I’d better get packing.”

 

But as she got up, she found she didn’t feel the enthusiasm for the mission that she thought she would. While she felt going to the Elmekian Empire was the right thing, she didn’t want to also be taking care of a bunch of diplomats who might cramp her style. And she was even less thrilled about the idea of Gourry and Naga spending so much time together. While she was sure that Gourry wouldn’t cheat, spending a few weeks with Naga tormenting her about how poorly developed she was compared to her and how Gourry would like her a lot better if she looked more like Naga was turning her stomach. Especially as she couldn’t shake the doubt that Naga would be right.

* * *

 

Lina wasn’t sure how they knew, but as soon as she got to the stairs she was surrounded by kids who were upset that she would be leaving. “Why do you have to go?” “Can’t Miss Luna go?” “Who will take care of us?”

 

Lina shook her head, even as she had to admit that she was pleased that they would miss her, “Hey, buckle up! Miss Luna will take good care of you. And Mr. and Mrs. Inverse will still be here, also with Duke Zelgadis and Princess Amelia.  And Sir Gourry and I will be back before you know it!”

 

“You don’t understand!” Danielle said, “We’re scared.”

 

Well, given what had happened this morning, they had good reason to be. And Lina did hate that she was leaving them scarcely a day after the attack. But still. “Look, you knew that danger would be a part of this! And it’s nothing that the people I am leaving you with can’t handle.”

 

“You don’t understand!” Peter cut in, “We’re scared of her!”

 

“Her?” Lina repeated.

 

“Miss Luna!” Peter replied, and other people muttered in agreement.

 

“It won’t be too bad.” Gomez said, “She is very pretty.”

 

Lina’s eyes narrowed, and Gomez straightened, “Not that you aren’t pretty, just…”

 

“She’ll keep you in line!” Lina snapped, “Which is just what you need! And when I come back I expect you to be stronger and better! And Gomez, get started on helping Alona scrub the floor!”

 

Gomez sighed in resignation. “Right away, ma’am.”

* * *

 

 Gourry stirred as she opened the door and walked in. “How are you feeling, love?” she asked.

 

“I’m fine.” He said as his eyes followed her as she got into bed with him. “What all have you found?”

 

She took his hand, “They think it was an attack on our school by either the Elmekian Empire or Dils, and that it was meant to look like an assassination attempt.”

 

He closed his eyes and squeezed her hand as she said, “They don’t think your family did this, but that they were meant to take the fall for it.”

 

“How can they know that?” he asked.

 

“The ambassador to Elmekia was acting suspiciously. He knew information about the attack and he tried to railroad your mother with it.” Lina explained, and for a moment he was still as he let the information sink in.

 

“I want to believe it’s true so bad.” He finally said.

 

“Then why don’t you?”

 

“Because the risks of letting my guard down are so great.” He replied.

 

She had hoped that the news would have brought him more solace than it did. Especially since he wasn’t going to like what she said next. “There’s more. The Eternal Queen came by.” She said. “We’ve been set upon a new task.”

 

He opened his eyes. “They’re taking the school from us?”

 

“No,” she said, “But Hellmaster’s device has fallen into the hands of the Emperor again. And the Eternal Queen has decided to send us in.”

 

He sat up, “To Elmekia?”

 

She nodded, “We’re there to escort and protect Maeve, as an envoy for the Eternal Queen. There will be a representative from the Duchy of Kalmaat, Lyzeille, and Amelia’s sister arrived and will be attending, too.” She bit her lip as she thought of Naga. And what Gourry would think of Naga. Particularly Naga’s breasts. Lina pulled her hand away.

 

Meanwhile, his face became set. “When are we leaving then?”

 

“First thing in the morning.” Lina replied as her anger started to build and she wrapped her arms around herself and moved away from Gourry, “We’re hoping that we can use the Blast Sword and destroy it.”

 

“What else do I need to know?” he asked. Well at least he was taking the news stoically and wasn’t being a baby about it.

 

“Amelia’s sister, well, you’re not going to believe what I tell you until you see her. She…she doesn’t wear a lot of clothes.”

 

He raised an eyebrow and looked at her as if he was wondering if she was telling the truth or not. “Are you trying to lighten the news? Because that’s a very bad joke.”

 

“She wears a tiny black bikini and I don’t know how her top hasn’t caved in under the weight.” Lina explained as she started to blush. “You’d think in a school where there are children she’d put something on, but she’s an honest to god princess. Who am I to tell her to cover up?”

 

He continued to look at her as though she was pulling one on him. She folded her arms across herself as said, “You’ll see for yourself. Nothing I say can prepare you for the experience! Just make sure you don’t stare! It’s impolite!”

 

He shook his head in disbelief, “We have to go to the Elmekian Empire to destroy a device that can wipe out entire cities after they nearly succeeded in killing me, and you’re worried that I’m going to stare at Amelia’s sister?”

 

She huffed, “Well, when you put it like that it may sound ridiculous! But let’s just say I like our odds of succeeding more than I like the odds of you not having a gushing nosebleed the first time you meet her.”

 

Gourry looked exasperated at being in the dog house for something he’d not even done yet. “Is she hot?”

 

“She makes Amelia look flat chested!” Lina spat.

 

“Oh,” Gourry said as he scratched his nose nervously.

 

“Don’t sound too excited. I know about your breast obsession.”

 

“Yeah, I like breasts.” He admitted, “And I married you even though yours are small.”

 

She grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. “What?” he said, “I didn’t say they weren’t satisfying in their own way! Do you want me to like you for such a shallow reason?”

 

And that was when Lina heard that laugh. Lina felt her hair stand on end as she cursed herself for forgetting Naga’s penchant for getting into places she shouldn’t. “Who said you could come in here!?” Lina yelled, now completely red faced. This was not a conversation that she had wanted her to overhear!

 

“I just had to meet your husband.” Naga said as she materialized from the balcony, “See who would go for a shrimp like you. It sounds as though someone is worried about what will happen now that he sees a real woman!”

 

Naga started to pose dramatically as Gourry’s jaw dropped.

 

“Diem wind!” Lina said as she sent Naga flying back out the balcony and into the wild blue yonder, and then she went and closed and locked the doors.

 

“Lina!” Gourry exclaimed.

 

“What?” she asked dangerously.

 

“You just blew Amelia’s sister out the window! And she’s a princess!”

 

“Don’t sound so concerned! Trust me when I say there’s no way that that hurt her.” Lina said as she got up and drew the curtains. “And why are you so worried about her, anyway? Wouldn’t want anything to happen to her, would you?”

 

He threw his arms up, “I’m not going to win here, am I?”

 

“Nope.” She said, “Get up and get dressed. We have to go down for dinner. And once again, no staring!”

 

He got out of bed with a sigh and started to dress and she sat on the chair, silently fuming. He looked at her carefully, “Look, just so you know, there’s such a thing as too much. And that woman? She’s too much.”

 

“Well I’m glad you finally admit it.” She replied.

 

“Look, it’s going to be a hard trip to the Elmekian Empire.” He pointed out. “Why are you making it harder than it has to be?”

 

“I have no idea.” She replied as she continued to keep her guard up.

 

“Why don’t you just go down without me?” he said as he barely kept the aggravation from his voice, “Just send something up. I’m still recovering and I’m not up for this.”

 

“Fine, I’ll just go and do that then.” She said as she got up and walked to the door and opened it, and then stopped in her tracks when she saw the hole in the floor and was smacked in the face with the fact that she was lucky to have this problem. She sighed and closed the door and turned around and sat beside him and leaned her head against his shoulder.

 

“What’s with you?” he said, caught off guard by her sudden change in mood.

 

“That hole in the floor reminded me of how I felt this morning.” She said. She then hit her knee, “I’m not even mad at you. Look, I knew her before I met you and she’s always trying to be better than me but I could just slap her back in place. But now she’s a stupid princess and Sis says I have to be respectful and treat her as my better, and she was all over Zelgadis when she met him, and I don’t know how Amelia was so calm about it. And I just want to blast her into the next kingdom before she pulls that with you but I can’t.”

 

She took a deep breath and put a hand on his knee, “But you did get blown through the floor this morning. So I guess I should go easier on you.”

 

“Well that’s very considerate of you.” He snapped as he pulled away.

 

_Oops_. Lina thought to herself as she wondered why treating him nicer was so hard. And why he put up with it. “Look, I screwed up and let this go to my head. I don’t know why I get this way. How can I make it up to you?”

 

He looked a bit caught off guard, “I’ll have to think about that and get back to you. But don’t let her get to you so much! She’s not worth it.”

 

“Right,” she said, even as her fingers dug into her knee and reflected that it was going to be a long trip.

 

He studied her for a moment, as though trying to work out how sincere she was. Then he put his hand over hers. “Think of what we have. She’s not worth destroying that.”

 

She suddenly wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head against his chest to listen to his heart. His heart that was beating with life. Damn, why did she have to pull this after what happened this morning? “You’re right.”

 

“Just don’t be so quick to forget next time.” He said, even as he brought his arms around her to stroke her hair.

 

“I won’t.” she promised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To make things easier, I just decided that Naga prefers her nickname and insists that her family uses it even, with Princess Gracia being an official thing.
> 
> And I didn't think I was going to take this to the Elmekian Empire and believed I could avoid that somehow,,,and then I realized I couldn't. Buckle in and enjoy!


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the novels, I was confused over what, if any, honorifics Amelia used to address Lina and whether or not Lina used them for Amelia because she does address her as"Miss Amelia" in The Battle of Saillune. I asked kaette-kita about it and she explained that in the The Battle of Saillune novel they both use honorifics (san) for each other, but at the end of the book they agree to address each other by their given names and don't use honorifics for the later books, however, this exchange was left out of the official translation. I wish the official novels had kept that part of the book in because it shows a growing friendship between Lina and Amelia that is harder to see in the novels. So in keeping with that I'm just going to have Amelia address Lina as Lina and will eventually get around to editing earlier chapters.
> 
> Apparently in the new 16th novel Amelia is once again using honorifics with Lina, but since this now occurs in an AU, we'll just overlook that ;-)

_You can do this Lina! You defeated Shabranigdu, twice!_ Lina thought to herself as she walked down the stairs with Gourry the next morning and tried to get mentally pumped for what lay before her. _You can survive for a few weeks with a bunch of diplomats and Naga. You’ve got this!_

“Lady Inverse.” Jean-Luc said as he came up to her, “Here is the information you asked for.”

 

“Thanks.” She said as she took it and started scanning it.

 

“Have a safe trip!”

 

“We will.” Gourry said as they made their way to the dining room.

 

When they got in they found that most everyone else was already there. Naga was talking to the assorted diplomats, who didn’t seem put off by her in the least. In fact, the representative from one of the Coastal Alliance kingdoms was dressed in a yellow outfit that while not quite as revealing as Naga’s, was considerably less than Lina would considering wearing to such an event. The Eternal Queen was there as well, and Maeve was seated beside her, looking very pleased with herself. Her parents and Luna were also there, the only ones missing were Amelia and Zelgadis.

 

“Good morning,” The Eternal Queen said.

 

“Morning.” Lina said as she inclined her head respectfully before she sat down. From the corner of her eye she saw that Gourry was very deliberately looking at the food on the table.

 

“The carriages have arrived.” Luna explained, and Lina’s eyebrows raised, but then she considered that the diplomats around the table did not look as hardy as Amelia and Naga and likely preferred a more pampered life. “Once you get to the border we have arranged for transportation via camel to the capital city of Elmeki where the Emperor currently resides.”

 

“Yeah, Jean-Luc has it on good word that he never lets the device off his person.” Lina said as she continued to go through her notes, “And I can’t argue with that logic.”

 

“We can’t either.” Luna agreed.

 

“We’re going to ride camels?” Maeve butted in.

 

“It’s the best way to travel in the Elmekian Empire.” Gourry explained, “They can walk on the sand more easily than us, they’re sturdy and hardy and don’t need a lot of food and water, and they even provide milk.”

 

 _Leave it to Gourry to know all about camels of all things._ Lina thought to herself.

 

“Yuck!” Maeve exclaimed. “There’s no way I’m drinking camel milk!”

 

“How is it any less disgusting than what comes out of a cow?” Gourry asked as the doors opened and Amelia came in.

“Where’s Zel?” Naga asked her.

 

“He wasn’t feeling well.” Amelia explained chipperly as she sat down. “He’s been having sympathy symptoms.”

 

“Zel!?” Lina exclaimed. “He’s the least sympathetic person I’ve ever met!”

 

“I didn’t realize you were feeling poorly.” Leia said, “I know some remedies.”

 

Amelia waved her away, “I’m feeling fine. Zel is just very empathetic and is feeling it all for me.”

 

Lina managed to keep her snicker behind her hand. More of Zel wanted an excuse to dodge his sister-in-law.

 

“You’re not sick, are you?” Maeve asked Amelia.

 

“Not in the least.” Amelia said, “Just expecting.”

 

“Oh!” Maeve said as her eyes grew wide.

 

“So, Sis, I hear that you and Lina used to travel with each other.” Amelia said.

 

“Yeah, I was there for all of Lina’s firsts.” Naga said, loudly and proudly.

 

Lina went tense as she realized a dangerous path was being opened at that very table as Naga started said, “The first time she killed a vampire, first time she got a big haul, the first time she got drunk…”

 

Lina spat out her oatmeal as people around the table started laughing. Lina didn’t dare look at her parents, but she was very aware that Maeve was taking too much of an interest, “Let’s not bring that up!”

 

“But you puked all over that merchant! It was so funny. You are such a light weight afterall.” Naga said as Lina’s hair stood on end.

 

“I bet you have a lot of interesting stories.” Maeve said conspiratorially.

 

 _Oh ho ho! NO!_ Lina thought to herself. This was horrible! No good would come of this! But how could she stop this trip down ignominy lane now that Naga was a princess and she had to be respectful!? Did she dare use the ammunition she had gathered?

 

Naga laughed. “Oh boy do I ever! Do you know the sheer number of times she chased after ways to grow her breasts only to find disappointing results? There were hot springs cures, magic potions, spells, now I guess she’s just waiting for that husband to knock her up…”

 

Lina felt her body go into a full on blush as she decided she didn’t give a damn about Naga’s rank anymore. Nothing that Luna could do to her would be worse than letting this continue! Lina firmly stepped on Naga’s foot, “Oh did I do that on purpose? I am so sorry! But now that you’re bringing up old times…” she said as she brought out a piece of paper she had worked on the previous night, just in case, “Here is an itemized bill of all of the money that the Kingdom of Saillune owes me.”

 

“What!?” Naga and Amelia exclaimed.

 

“Those times you skipped out on the restaurant and left me to pay?” Lina said, “Well I’m calling it in! Unless you want your daddy to see this.”

 

Amelia leaned over and looked at the tab and her mouth dropped, “Sis, this is more than our yearly stipend!”

 

“Of course, I might be persuaded to forget this. If you watch your mouth very, very carefully.” Lina said as the diplomats started whispering to each other and the mood around the table changed.

 

Naga turned red and yelled, “You always were an overbearing runt!”

 

Lina was surprised when she got up and stormed out. She shook her head and went back to her breakfast and hoped that her parents wouldn’t start ribbing her. Right now she didn’t want to look at them. The diplomats continued whispering as Maeve looked at Lina wide eyed and disapproving. Only Luna looked pleased. Meanwhile, the Eternal Queen beckoned Amelia over.

 

Lina ate in silence as the Eternal Queen and Amelia started whispering to each other as Luna laughed, “For once your ability to never forget a debt comes in handy.”

 

“It’s not the first time.” Lina said, beaming a bit about managing to wheedle a bit of admiration from her sister. If Luna was pleased, then she couldn’t have done too badly. Or at least, that’s what she would have thought if the reaction from everyone in the room who was of noble blood wasn’t of shock. “I once got Xellos to fix a greenhouse over an unpaid debt.”

 

Luna’s eyebrows raised in approval, but then she looked around and started to pick up on the strange vibe in the room. A look of confusion crossed Luna’s face as the feeling that Lina had somehow committed a huge faux pas grew. Lina glanced at her parents, who seemed just as baffled as Luna, and then she looked at Gourry, but he was still busy keeping all of his focus on his plate. Lina was stumped. How could calling Naga on her debts be worse than rehashing her youthful indiscretions, especially in from of one of her students? That Maeve would return to class with a armful of inappropriate stories about her was something that Lina simply could not risk!

 

Eventually Amelia and the Eternal Queen wrapped up their conversation, and Amelia immediately walked up to Lina and asked to speak to her privately. “We don’t have a lot of time.” Lina pointed out.

 

“I know, I will make it quick.” Amelia said.

 

“Right. Can Gourry come?”

 

“Sure.” Amelia said.

 

“Right,” Lina replied as she walked with Gourry and Amelia to a large closet and went into it.

 

Amelia closed and locked the door and the said in a quiet voice, “Look, Sis wasn’t trying to embarrass you. She was trying to get the upper hand with the other diplomats.”

 

“What are you talking about!?” Lina asked a bit too loudly, “How can you possibly defend that…”

 

“Look, all them already think highly of you. Sis knew that. She was attempting to show them that you knew each other on a personal level so that she would have more leverage in any disagreements or negotiations that occur during the trip.”

 

“None of this makes any sense!” Lina said, “First off this isn’t a diplomatic mission…”

 

“It is! Whenever you have two diplomats, it’s a diplomatic mission! What else do you think is going to go on in that carriage to pass away the days before you get to Elmeki!?”

 

Lina sighed. “But why embarrass me? Why not talk about something flattering?”

 

“Because it shows a surface level relationship!” Amelia explained, “You really know someone when you know the embarrassing things about them. And look, everyone gets drunk, everyone has something they don’t like about their body. She’s not saying anything that those other diplomats can’t relate to.”

 

“But Maeve can’t!” Lina said, “The last thing I need is to look like a poor role model for her.”

 

“She has a point.” Gourry said, “If Maeve comes home with a bunch of stories about what Lina’s done then all of those little kids will think it’s okay to act just like Lina, and I don’t think the world can survive that!”

 

Lina turned and hissed at him, and Gourry put his arms up defensively, “I was trying to help!”

 

“It won’t change how Maeve sees you. I think this is just one of those differences between royalty and commoners.” Amelia explained.

 

“I don’t see you doing that! Or the Eternal Queen.” Lina said.

 

“As the younger daughter, I was never expected to be a diplomat. I was supposed to be a Shrine Maiden until I got married.” Amelia explained, “The Eternal Queen knows that commoners have a different set of social norms. She gets why you were embarrassed and did what you did. But you also just blew up Sis’ chance of getting the diplomatic upper hand.”

 

Lina shook her head, feeling flabbergasted over the strange world she had found herself in, “So what was I supposed to do?”

 

“Shot a few embarrassing scenarios back at her!” Amelia replied as though it should have been obvious.

 

“But yesterday the Eternal Queen was telling me to watch my mouth!” Lina said as she added, “Besides, just by appearing in public she’s a walking embarrassment!”

 

Amelia slumped forward and sighed. “Look, it’s a balancing act between being friendly hostile and hostile hostile. Yesterday you were hostile hostile.”

 

Lina still felt exasperated, “Well I wasn’t raised in a palace so excuse me for not knowing the difference!”

 

“Think of it this way, everything with royals is about getting the upper hand and having a stronger card to play. Find a way to strengthen her hand.”

 

“I’m finding a way to destroy Hellmaster’s device!” Lina retorted, “I don’t have time for your petty politics!”

 

Amelia turned red as her hands bunched into fists, “Then maybe you should give protecting your reputation as little consideration as you do our petty politics!”

 

She then threw open the door and stormed out. Lina folded her arms across her chest and sighed. Gourry looked after Amelia nervously as he said, “You don’t think there’s going to be trouble from this?”

 

“She’s newly pregnant and hormonal.” Lina said dismissively, “She’ll get over it when she hears about the next outrage of justice.”

 

“Right.” Gourry said uncertainly.

 

“Look, I can’t have Naga spreading stories, lies about me destroying cities and getting drunk and anything else that sullies my reputation to these kids! I don’t know what politics Saillune is wanting to play, but it’s not my concern.” Lina flared defensively.

 

“I’m on your side.” He said as he put a hand on her shoulder, “It just feels like a wrecking ball hit Maninstit hard.”

 

Lina sighed and leaned back to him and considered that while Gourry may like breasts, he also hated conflict, and suddenly felt a lot more assured that any attraction he may have seen in Naga would have broken under the weight of the discord she could sow. She smiled a bit as a plan started to take shape. “I guess it did.”

* * *

  


“Naga!” Lina said perkily and with a smile as she got to the lawn where the carriages were waiting, along with the assembled diplomats, Lina’s family and the Eternal Queen. Naga turned and favored her with a dirty look. “Following me around again like the load of goldfish poop that you are!”

 

Luna’s mouth dropped open as Naga looked at her skeptically while Amelia covered her mouth with her hand. Naga, meanwhile, said, “Who’s following who now?”

 

“I’d always wondered where you’d gone off to.” Lina said as she put a hand on her back and checked in with Amelia to see if she was on the friendly hostile side, “I figured you’d drunk yourself into a two-year coma because what else could have kept us apart? Anyway, I insist that you ride with Gourry and me so we can catch up on old times.”

 

Luna and her parents looked confused, but the Eternal Queen seemed unperturbed. Amelia, meanwhile, smiled and winked. “Have a pleasant trip.”

 

“We will.” Lina said.

 

Naga still didn’t seem ready to forgive as she said petulantly, “I get a window seat.”

 

Lina got in beside her and whispered, “Look, we’ll go over which embarrassing anecdotes are safe to share and which ones you take to your grave. Deal?”

 

“They do have to have an impact!” Naga insisted.

 

“I’ve got twenty-two kids who look up to me!” Lina said.

 

“And I’m sure several of them relate to wanting bigger breasts. Or to wanting to change their bodies through other magical means.” Naga pointed out.

 

Lina clutched her temples as Gourry got in. On the one hand she had a point. But she didn’t want her to have a point. Especially when she was in a carriage with two people with perfect bodies, even if their brains were a bit lacking. Naga continued, “Even with your puny breasts you managed to land a man who anyone would envy. Why are you still so sensitive about it?”

 

Lina bristled. Could she really agree to this? “I’ll think about it.”

 

“It’s either that or that one time you got drunk and the cities that you destroyed…”

 

“You have a lot of nerve bringing up that one time! Especially when you do it every day! And you were the ones who destroyed those cities!” Lina shot back.

 

“Who will people believe, a princess or a commoner?” Naga replied.

 

“Oh, why am I bothering with this again?” Lina exclaimed as she leaned back in her seat.

 

“Just admit that you like me more than you’ve ever let one.” Naga said with a smile.

 

“In your dreams.” Lina replied as Maeve got in the carriage. And then she decided it was time to change the topic, “So where did you run off to anyway?”

 

“There was a village on Cebu Island that offered me the most delicious rum for free in exchange for my protection.” Naga said, “But I drank them dry a few months ago. Decided to come back to the mainland and found so much had changed!”

 

Lina smiled, “So you did drink yourself into a two-year coma!”

 

Naga’s mouth dropped as the representatives from Ralteague and Lyzeille came in. Lina leaned back against her seat and prepared herself to feel the movement of the carriage at any moment. Instead she heard her mother yell, “Lina Inverse! Don’t you dare think of leaving for a few weeks without saying good bye to me first!”

 

Lina raced for the door and nearly bowled over an ambassador as she said, “Right away, Mom!”

 


	31. Chapter 31

The last thing that Gourry had expected to feel when they got to the border of the Elmekian Empire was relief. But the past few days had been agonizing. They had been crammed into the carriage with the other diplomats for several days straight, stopping only to use the bathroom. Considering that he was used to getting a lot of exercise and movement, and considering how tall he was and that the bench that he was sitting on was made for a much shorter person, his muscles ached from a lack of movement and from being cramped for so long. At least he was pushed to the side with the window with Lina beside him. To have had anyone else pushed so close would have felt like a violation of his personal space. There was little he could do about the fact that his knees kept brushing against the ambassador to Lyzeille, though. And then there was the company.

He was quickly reminded of why he had never been fond of politics. Amelia had been right when she said that when you have two diplomats together, negotiation happens. Naga, Maeve and the other ambassadors bickered about their borders, trade deals, marriages and, occasionally swapped anecdotes about famous people that they knew. He kept his focus on the window and any dangers that might be present and at times practically prayed for an attack. At least it would be an excuse to get away from them for a bit. But their trip to the border was uneventful.

Lina, for her part, kept her focus on the reading she had brought with her and seemed a lot more comfortable pressed against him and Naga than he was (every time Naga got into her personal space she had no problem barking at her). And at least she had a good knee gap between herself and Maeve. The only times she seemed annoyed was when Naga would talk about some remedy she had chased to grow her breasts. Then Lina’s hand, comfortably resting on his knee, would twist, digging her nails in hard enough to draw blood. But she kept unusually silent. Especially considering how she usually never shut up.

So while Gourry was not happy to return to the Elmekian Empire, it was a relief to get out of the cramped carriage and under the open sky. His relief over finally leaving the confines and stretching his legs was short lived when he noticed a group of soldiers among the camels and handlers. He did his best to size them up as they walked over to them. He wasn’t sure if Naga moving to the front to take the lead in talking to them was a good or a bad thing.

“Is there a problem?” Naga asked.

The man with the insignia of a captain said, “State your business.”

“I, Princess Gracia Ul Naga Saillune, seek a meeting with the Emperor.” Naga said confidently, and she then went and listed the other members of their party.

“The Emperor is expecting you.” The Captain replied. “And we will escort you to him.”

Gourry looked at Lina to see what she made of this, but found that she was looking at him for similar reasons. Naga, at least, was unflummoxed as she said indifferently, “How kind of you to offer.”

“You may have your pick.” The Captain said as he indicated the camels.

“Come on.” Gourry said quietly as he walked over with Lina and Maeve. 

“So you’re Gourry Gabriev.” One of the soldiers said as Gourry grabbed the reigns.

“That’s right.” Gourry replied as he braced himself. 

“The man who turned his back on his country.”

Lina turned around sharply and Gourry put a hand on her arm as he smiled, “I guess I did.” He admitted, and then he turned so he was facing the Elmekian Empire with his back to Zeferia, “There, is this better?”

Maeve burst out into laughter as Naga shook her head and asked Lina, “Surely he’s not that dumb?”

“Sometimes a beautiful face is all that there is to a person.” Lina replied as the soldier’s mouth dropped as he tried to figure out whether he should laugh or feel insulted. 

Gourry walked up to one of the camels and started to stroke it. “It sure was nice of you to provide us with camels. What’s his name?”

“Onesa!” The Captain barked at the soldier, “Get over here.”

Onesa sneered, “Don’t you think this is over.”

“Is it going to be okay letting them travel with us?” Maeve whispered.

“He’s not a match for me.” Gourry said confidently, even if his heart was beating fast. “Come on, let’s get ready to go. The sooner we get to the Emperor the sooner we can leave.”

“But how do you even get on them?” Maeve asked as she looked at the camel distastefully.

“It’s time to find your inner adventuress and step outside your comfort zone!” Lina said. “Gourry, have you ridden one?”

He shrugged, and smiled as he noticed a few more soldiers take an interest in them, “I can’t remember!”

She shook her head, “Why am I not…”

But she stopped as she heard them badmouth Gourry as a traitor among themselves. Her hand clenched into a fist and Gourry put a hand on her shoulder even as he felt himself tense up, “It’s not worth it.”

Lina’s elbow bumped his as she clutched at her side as if in pain, and then her eyes flashed golden. He squinted. Was he seeing this right? He was no stranger to the tricks that the desert could play on one’s eyes. But still. He was about to ask her if she was okay when he realized that while he was distracted Maeve had walked up to the soldiers. Before they could stop her she said, “I am Princess Maeve of Zeferia. And if you insult our knights, then you insult our country.”

One of the soldiers grinned, “Seeing as we’ll soon be invading your country and dethroning your family, we really don’t care.”

Maeve’s eyes widened as Naga said casually, “I hope you’re not declaring war. I’d have to send a message to rally the troops to prepare so we can blow any element of surprise the Emperor was hoping to have.”

_I guess she can be useful,_ Gourry thought as the soldiers stared at her, struck mute. “Princess.” One finally said as they walked off.

“Time to get on those camels and take us to your Emperor!” Naga added, and amazingly they moved towards their camels.

Gourry didn’t dare let himself relax, but he did turn his attention back to Lina, trying to see if he could see any trace of gold in her eyes as she tried to figure out how to get on the camel. Eventually she noticed him staring. “What?”

He shrugged, “Can’t I look at my wife?”

“But why would you want to?” Naga cut in.

“Oh cut it out!” Lina yelled.

“She only says this because no one is looking at her.” Gourry pointed out as Naga reddened, but out of the corner of his eye he saw Lina smile, “Don’t use a levitation spell, it spooks them. Here, approach it from an angle.”

The sun was still rising in the horizon as he gave Lina directions on how to mount the camel. Was that what was causing the faint golden glow to surround her? It looked like it had become part of her aura. But then, it could just be a trick of the eyes. Lina seated herself comfortably and then looked at him, “Now what?”

“You okay?” he asked.

“Fine.” She said, seeming to be completely in the dark about the glow. And if she had clutched her side in pain she wasn’t saying anything. But then, she wasn’t good at displaying weakness, and especially with Naga and the guards so close she would likely be guarded. He made a note to talk to her about it later as she said. “This will take some getting used to.”

“They’re sturdy. I wouldn’t worry.” He said, and then he sighed, “But you’re feeling okay?”

“Yeah, why?” she asked as the glow started to fade. Had it been an illusion? He could ask Naga…but that would mean asking Naga.

“You look different. Not in a bad way. Just different.”

She looked at him, “I think that the sun is baking your brain!”

“You’re probably right.” He said with a smile, “Now, when the camel stands up, lean back.”

Once the camel was standing, Gourry patted its neck, “I’ll be right behind you.”

She grabbed his hand. “It’s going to be okay, you know.”

“I know.” He said, as he tried to project more confidence than he felt.

“Hey Gourry!” Naga sang, “Mind helping me figure this out?”

He saw Lina grip the camel’s harness as she turned and yelled, “Either figure it out on your own or find your own man!”

Naga reddened, “Excuse me!?”

“You heard me!” Lina yelled, and Gourry grinned sheepishly as he walked towards his own camel.

“Just so you know I have to wait until the proper partner is arranged.” Naga said haughtily.

“Didn’t stop your sister.” Lina retorted.

“About that, Princess Gracia.” The ambassador from Lyzeille said, “Prince Toffee’s offer still stands. Our most illustrious king is doing poorly. It would not be long until you would be Queen of Lyzeille.”

Naga turned blue as the ambassador from the Duchy of Kalmaat said, “Don’t forget Duke Livingston’s offer! Our country is very rich, with a thriving merchant base! You would do very well here.”

Naga fixed Lina with an intense stare as she boarded her camel and took off as one of the Coastal State ambassadors said, “Don’t forget, the treaty with Prince Duster is ready and awaiting your father’s signature! All we need is your agreement. You wouldn’t want to go back on a promise, would you?”

But Naga was already well into the Elmekian Empire as the ambassadors started to bicker with each other over who she should marry. Lina grinned, “I wish I’d found that out when we were in that blasted carriage! I’m going to have to remember that.”

* * *

“I’d always heard that nothing grows in the Elmekian Empire.” Lina said as she stared out at the endless stretch of sand dunes. “But I didn’t realize how barren it is.”

“It’s gotten worse since I left.” Gourry said. “I’m pretty sure there was an oasis up ahead.”

“It dried up a few years back.” The Captain explained. “Lots of places did. Two years ago, though, some started to come back. Not sure why.”

“Hm.” Lina said.

“But how do you find food and water?” Maeve asked.

“It’s been hard.” The Captain said.

“That’s why only the weak flee.” Onesa said as he glared at Gourry.

“You know what we call sailors who don’t leave a sinking ship? Dead.” Lina snapped.

“We see it as a test. Those who are strong and smart enough will swim.” 

“Well, I was never known for my brains.” Gourry said quickly.

Onesa grunted in distaste, but at least he shut up. Until he and several other soldiers started muttering among themselves, and while Gourry couldn’t catch every word they said, it was decidedly unfriendly. Setting up camp and having dinner was a decidedly awkward affair, and he was relieved when he could finally leave with Lina to their tent.

“I guess we should take it in shifts.” Lina said as she closed the tent flap behind her and scooted beside him on their bedroll. Obviously she had the same concerns he did about being attacked in the night.

He stared at her for a moment, and then pulled her into a tight hug. “Hey,” she said as she brought her arms around him, “We’ll be out of here before you know it. I don’t know how you do it, though.”

“Do what?” he asked.

“Endure all of that teasing without smacking them!” Lina said, the anger heavy in her voice. “If people talked about me that way…”

He put a finger over her lips. To be honest, seeing her get so angry on his behalf was strangely satisfying. “I’m not going to change their minds. And there are bigger things to worry about.”

“But it can’t be easy to listen to!”

“It’s not.” He admitted, “But it’s true, isn’t it? I left my country and got citizenship with a neighboring one. And now I’m here on behalf of Zeferia to undermine the Elmekian Empire. But it’s not as though I care about being a model citizen. I was a mercenary. I care more about loyalty to people than country, so it’s not like they’re saying anything that really hurts me.”

“I still don’t see how you keep so calm!”

“I just think about things I’d rather be doing.”

“Like what?”

He leaned forward and kissed her, and wasted little time in shoving his hands under her shirt to feel her up a bit. She smiled as she pulled away. “I’m glad you’re enthusiastic. But I am rather sore from riding on that camel all day.”

He kissed her a final time, “It’s probably not a good idea given the soldiers anyway…”

He trailed off as he noticed the glow again. It was faint, but in the darkness of their tent, undeniable. “What?” she asked.

“Are you feeling okay?” he asked.

“Fine.” She said, “I’m actually rather energetic all things considered. I can take first watch if you want to rest.”

“Lina…you’re glowing.” He said.

“What?” she asked as she looked down at herself, and then her eyes widened. “When did this start?”

“I’ve noticed it a few times,” he admitted, “But I wasn’t sure if my eyes were playing tricks or not.”

“When else did you notice it?” she yelled as she put her hands on her stomach as if she could brush it away.

“That night the assassin came. I woke up because you were glowing. With everything that happened after that I guess I forgot.”

Lina’s mouth dropped as he continued, “And then today when we were mounting the camels. Your eyes flashed gold right after you clutched your side. It doesn’t hurt you, does it?”

She shook her head, but it seemed to be more in bafflement than denial even as she blushed. “No.”

“What’s happening to you?” he asked.

“I don’t know.” She replied.

“That’s all you’re going to say?” he asked.

“What else is there to say?”

“Usually you have a lot of different explanations.”

She curled up to him. “I have some thoughts. But given where we are, I can’t get the information I need. And this does just seem like a distraction from our larger mission.”

“How can it be a distraction if it involves your health?”

“I don’t think I’m in danger. I feel peaceful about it, really.” She said, and then she sighed. “That night when you were attacked. It’s strange, but I think the Mazoku who attacked us mistook me for someone else.”

“What?” he asked.

“Back when you were kidnapped by Hellmaster. I channeled the power of a very high ranking being, someone higher ranking than Shabranigdu. The Lord of Nightmares. The Golden Lord. I guess it left an imprint on me?”

“I don’t understand.”

She chuckled but stroked his hair. “Mazoku have to show absolute obedience to their superiors. And, if channeling the power of the Lord of Nightmares changed me and the Mazoku mistook me for her, then he would have had to obey her. So when I ordered that Mazoku to leave and to return your sword, he had no choice but to obey me because he thought I was the Lord of Nightmares.”

Gourry thought for a moment, and said, “But you channel power from high ranking Mazoku all the time. Why hadn’t that left an imprint?”

Lina shrugged, completely unperturbed. Irritatingly so. “The Lord of Nightmares isn’t a Mazoku. Her existence is so different from ours we can’t even really understand it. I guess it makes sense that channeling power from something like that would affect me in a different way.”

“But Lina, that happened two years ago. Why are these changes just happening now?” he asked.

“Wow, a good question for once.” She said thoughtfully.

“Well? It’s not going to take over you, is it?”

“I’m not worried about that.” She said. “But I don’t know. It sure would have been useful when Luke Shabranigdu was active, huh?”

“You don’t want to get to the bottom of it?”

“What can I do, really? No other human has ever cast the Giga Slave. The only person who might know what effect this will have on me would be the Eternal Queen, and I can’t talk to her right now, can I?”

“No,” he admitted. He hated it when he was worried about her safety and she was right.

“And, if it took two years to get to this point, then whatever is happening is slow to manifest. We’ll have plenty of time to finish up here and then go home and get more answers.” She said. “Besides, we have enough on our hands. Having an extra ace up my sleeve isn’t something I’m going to sneeze at now.”

“I guess there is that.” He agreed with a sigh.

“I’d know if something was wrong.” She said as she curled up to him, “So don’t worry so much.”


	32. Chapter 32

_I’m late._ Lina kept thinking to herself in a mix of anxiety and excitement as they rode through the endless sand dunes. That Aunt Flo would be due to arrive on the day they’d arrived at the Elmekian border had been something she had been worried about when she’d charted her cycles before they had left Maninstit. It would take three days to get to Elmeki from the border, and she had been sure if everything worked perfectly her powers would have recovered by the time they met with the Emperor. Only she’d never lost them. She’d spent the next few days anxious that she would start late and that the window for recovering her powers would be pushed to after she met the Emperor. But she was now three days late, with her powers strong, and no sign of Aunt Flo.

 

Either Lina’s body had realized how critical this mission was and had given her a break, or she was finally pregnant.

 

Lina couldn’t get too excited. Amelia had been so tired since learning about her pregnancy, but Lina felt as though a vault of newfound energy had opened within her. She didn’t even miss the sleep she’d lost dividing her night into shifts of keeping watch over the Elmekian soldiers. But then, the newfound energy wasn’t the only strange symptoms she’d been experiencing. What if the loss of her cycle was more about the other changes happening to her? Or, what if a potential pregnancy had triggered her strange symptoms?

 

Lina kept thinking about how desperate Luna had been for her to marry Gourry as soon as possible. Luna, who had admitted to marrying Harold because she desired the powerful children that would result from such a union. What if Luna had realized that channeling of full powered Giga Slave would have altered her on some level? And if so, did it mean that it was Lina who was changing and growing more powerful, or that the child she was carrying was so powerful that it was affecting Lina by carrying him?

 

Lina couldn’t figure out if she was being paranoid or not. She wasn’t even sure how she should feel. While she was sure that whatever it was that was happening to her wouldn’t hurt her, she also didn’t like the idea that her sister was toying with her to further her goals.

 

Lina looked over at Gourry. She couldn’t say anything to him. He had enough on his plate just surviving being back in the Elmekian Empire. The hazing from the soldiers had gotten worse and more personal with time. While the Captain attempted to keep them in line, he’d couldn’t monitor them constantly. And day after day of enduring it was starting to wear even his patience thin. He didn’t need to be worrying about her more than he already did. And besides, it wasn’t as if Lina could know for sure right now. Especially with all of the weirdness that was going on in general with her body. She didn’t want to get his hopes up if she was wrong.

 

It was possible that Naga or Maeve knew a way to find out whether or not she was. But asking Maeve was completely out of the question. And she didn’t trust Naga to not spill the beans. Same for the other ambassadors. So while Lina craved certainty, she would have to live with the fact that it would still be some time before she got it.

 

Gradually they came upon a small town composed of mud huts. The Captain stopped and got off his camel. Lina frowned. “Shouldn’t we just go on ahead until we get to the palace? Or do we just walk from here on out?”

 

Lina noticed Gourry get off his camel, and followed suit, as did the other ambassadors as the Captain indicated a mud hut that was larger than the others, “This is the palace.”

 

“What!?” Lina exclaimed as she looked at it. Surely he was joking!

 

Lina then felt her hair stand on end as Naga laughed and all of the camels went bug eyed.

 

“No!” Lina screeched as she threw her hands over her and tried to duck as all of the other ambassadors and soldiers did the same as the camels spit in reaction to the obnoxious sound. Lina groaned as she realized that the spit had landed in her hair. She stood to her full height and yelled, “What did we tell you about doing that around the camels!”

 

Looking down the line of people who were wiping spit off of them in disgust, Lina quickly deduced that Gourry was the only one with the reflexes who was successfully avoided the spit. Naga, meanwhile, put her hand on her belly, shiny with camel spit, and made a face, “Yeah, I do have to remember that.”

 

“So that’s what it takes to teach you humility!” Lina said as she got out a cloth and started to dab at her hair.

 

“Is there somewhere we can freshen up?” Maeve asked as she held her hands in front of her distastefully.

 

“We’re not here to win a beauty contest.” Lina snapped.

 

“Not that you ever had any hope of winning one.” Naga said.

 

“I’d put my odds over yours.” Lina said as she stared at hut. Now that she thought about it, it was large…for a mud hut. It could easily fit into her living room. But given how barren the land was and how scarce water was it was amazing that there were any buildings at all. She walked up to Gourry and put a hand on his shoulder, “You weren’t kidding when you said that even the Emperor lives in a mud hut.”

 

“Nope.” Gourry said as he scanned the place with a furrowed brow. “There are guards dressed to mimic the sand arms with spears surrounding us.”

 

_Perhaps that’s why his eye sight is so good,_ Lina thought as she tried to see what he was talking about and couldn’t, _necessary adaptation for surviving this environment?_

 

“Follow me.” The Captain said as he walked to the door.

 

They followed him in and found themselves in the throne room. The walls were decorated with brightly colored tapestries, breaking the monochrome dull brown of the sand. And in the center of the room, sitting in a throne carved from the bones of a giant desert creature, sat a middle aged man with dark hair and hawkish features. There were many times in her life when Lina’s expectations of how a famous person would look clashed dramatically with reality (Prince Phil, for instance). This was not one of those times.

 

“The Emperor.” The Captain introduced.

 

Naga stepped forward and introduced the other members of her party, and the Emperor regarded her with a board air as she finished, “I’m sure the Elmekian Empire would not want to go toe to toe with all of us, and we demand that you hand the device over so we can destroy it here and now!”

 

“And if I don’t?” he asked.

 

“Then you’ll have to deal with the terrible, abominable dragon spooker herself, Lina Inverse!”

 

“Hey!” Lina shouted. “Who are you calling ‘abominable!?’”

 

“Well, if you’re going to send Lina Inverse after me, I suppose I have no choice.” The Emperor said.

 

“Let’s get this done.” Lina snapped as the Emperor handed her a statue.

 

Lina took it and started to examine it as Naga asked, “We also demand to know where the members of the previous party we sent to recover the device are.”

 

“I don’t know.” The Emperor said.

 

“You think we’re going to believe that!?” Naga laughed, “Don’t make me sic Lina on you!”

 

“One moment.” Lina said as she held the device, “This is a fake.”

 

“What do you mean?” Naga asked.

 

“All magical devices give off a particular signature. And the signature this one gives off? Feels completely different than an object designed by Hellmaster, or any other high ranking Mazoku, would.” Lina explained. “It’s too weak for one thing. You put magical gems or something on it. It might dupe a novice into thinking it was a genuine magical object, but not me.”

 

A lot of things happened at once. Gourry grabbed the Blast Sword and brought it up as Onesa attacked, slicing the other man’s sword clean through. Onesa threw the hilt at him and Gourry deflected it easily as he greeted the next attacker. Meanwhile, Naga side stepped to avoid a different soldier and yelled, “Icicle Lance!”

 

Several more soldiers got caught in the icy web. The other ambassadors cast their own freeze spells to trap them as Maeve cast, “Ray Freeze!”

 

Or rather, she tried to. She stuttered in fear as a solider came up to her, sword drawn, so that she miscast it as, “Ray Breeze!”

 

Nothing happened.  Maeve ducked to avoid the blow as Naga cast, “Freeze arrow!” nailing the soldiers about to attack her to the ground as Lina called, “Ray Freeze!”

 

The golden lasso materialized around the Emperor, as well as every other soldier Lina could find, holding them in place. Gourry suddenly jumped forward and cut through a spear that someone had thrown at Lina and bisected it. “He’s hidden there!” Gourry said, pointing to a corner of the room.

 

“Ray Freeze!” This time Maeve got it right as she managed to nab the man that Lina could barely see.

 

Gourry suddenly knelt down to one knee as a giant net sprang from the floor and bundled them together. Lina cried out as her concentration broke and her spell holding the Emperor died as she felt herself being pressed between the weight of many bodies and the net, some of them freezing cold from the spells. But before she had too much time to think about it, Gourry cut through the net with the Blast Sword, and they went spilling back to the floor.

 

Fortunately he broke the fall for Lina. But she was still winded as she struggled to get her bearings. She raised her head and found a fresh group of solider rushing to surround them, swords drawn. She didn’t have time to chant another Ray Freeze spell! She barely had time to chant a Burst Rondo.

 

The men started screaming as it exploded around them and they backed away, giving Lina time to scramble up as she worked on a more complex spell. Gourry got to his feet and assumed a defensive stance as Naga cast, “Bomb Sprid!”

 

Before Lina could finish her spell, a soldier grabbed Maeve and held a sword to her throat. “Stand down or she dies!”

 

“You know you would be declaring war with Zeferia if you did that!” Lina yelled.

 

“Roller Road!” Maeve suddenly cried, and she and the solider behind her fell backward as though a rug had been pulled out from under their feet. Lina exhaled and thanked her lucky stars that Maeve had found a spell similar to the one Milgasea used to move the earth beneath their feet.

 

Maeve quickly rolled away and Naga called, “Freeze Icicle!” encompassing the soldier, and several others, in ice.

 

“Ray Freeze!” Lina said as she recaptured the Emperor and several other soldiers again.

 

The other ambassadors and Naga started subduing the remaining soldiers with ice spells as Gourry took a moment to survey his surroundings. “More people are coming.” He said quietly to Lina as the Emperor started yelling empty threats about how they would regret this at them.

 

“Search him. Make this quick.” Lina said.

 

Gourry nodded, and walked up to the Emperor and patted him down, and he quickly found a strange metallic object. He handed it to Lina and asked. “Is this the real one?”

 

She studied it and shuddered as a wave of bad memories hit her, “It definitely has his signature. We need to destroy it, now.”

 

“Now what happened to our older party?” Maeve demanded to know as Lina set the object on the ground and Gourry came up and hoisted his sword.

 

“I was telling the truth when I said I don’t know.” The Emperor said. “I let them steal a fake to get you off my back! Do you really think I would attack them?”

 

Lina had to admit that he brought up a fair point as Gourry brought his sword down and cleaved Hellmaster’s device into two. Suddenly someone shrieked, “What sorcery is this!?”

 

Lina frowned as Gourry continued to dice Hellmaster’s device into smaller pieces, and then she looked down to find she was glowing again, and that all eyes were on her in bewilderment. She opened her mouth to say something flippant when Gourry suddenly grabbed her and pulled her off to the side as a spear flew through where she had been standing and impaled the Emperor through the head.

 

“What the…” Lina exclaimed as Naga started to scream as the blood splattered on her.

 

One of the other ambassadors grabbed Naga and tried to calm her down as Lina turned her attention to the man who was standing in the doorway, clapping.

 

“Wonderful shot, if I do say so myself.”

 

Gourry’s eyes narrowed and Lina folded her arms across her stomach. “Gregory.”

 

“You know him?” Lina asked.

 

“It’s good to see you again, Big Bro.” Gregory said as he clasped Gourry on the shoulder and surveyed his surroundings. He wasn’t alone. He had a small army behind him. “You’re just in time to see me become Emperor.”

 

“What!?” Lina exclaimed. “But you just killed your leader!”

 

“Whoever kills the current Emperor becomes the new Emperor.” Gourry explained. “We’ve yet to have an Emperor who died of old age. You sure this is a job you want, Greg?”

 

“What kind of a crazy system is that!?” Lina yelled.

 

“It sorts the weak from the strong.” Gregory explained as he sized her up. “I do have something for you. Here are the members of your previous party. We figured taking them would be the best way to draw you out here.”

 

“Well, that solves that mystery.” Lina mumbled, as several of the ambassadors exclaimed in delight at recognized their missing countrymen. Still, she couldn’t escape the feeling that there was more bad news on the horizon.

 

“I see you destroyed Hellmaster’s device.” Gregory said.

 

Gourry nodded as Gregory looked at his sword, “I’d heard you’d given up the Blast Sword.”

 

Lina exhaled. Surely there wasn’t going to be a fight over this! Maeve jumped in, “Sir Gourry bestowed that sword to my Kingdom of Zeferia. Our knight is just borrowing it until his services are no longer needed.”

 

“How convenient.” Gregory said with a sardonic smile.

 

“Let me get this straight.” Lina said. “The Emperor let our first group steal a fake to get us off his back. And then you, sensing your opportunity to become Emperor yourself, kidnapped our group, knowing that it would lure us here. And, while the Emperor’s men were weakened fighting us, you went and swept in during the confusion and killed him?”

 

“Pretty smart, huh?” Gregory said smugly. “And Gourry, when you see our dear mother, you can let her know she is welcome back in our country. We could even find a place for you here.”

 

“I don’t ally myself with people who ally themselves with Mazoku.” Gourry said, and Lina felt her skin prick.

 

Gregory frowned. “What are you talking about? All of my men are human!”

 

Gourry shook his head and then indicated two of the men standing beside Gregory, “It’s one of them.”

 

Lina thought for a moment. If she was wrong she was going to look very silly. But if she was right, she could very well get them out safely. She stepped forward and dropped her arms, letting the glow show, “Do you know who I am?”

 

A man in white robes hissed, “How is this possible? It’s some trick!”

 

“Do you really want to make that bet?” Lina asked as she took a step forward. “Show your true form.”

 

The Mazoku morphed into his monstrous state. He looked like a demented pig whose head had been attached to the body of a goat. He let them have a good look, and the Lina ordered, “Leave us and abandon your plans!”

 

And just like that, he teleported away. Lina exhaled as everyone stared at her in shock. “T-that was a Mazoku?” Gregory stuttered. “And he ran away in terror from a little…!?”

 

Lina smiled deviously at Gregory, “So nice to meet you. I’m your sister-in-law.”

 

Gourry leaned in to whisper loudly to Gregory who continued to stare at Lina in open mouth shock, “Trust me, you don’t want to mess with her!”

 

“B-but he’d told me you were starting a school to invade the Elmekian Empire.” Gregory said. “He said the old emperor would do nothing to protect our country.”

 

“Don’t you write to your own mother?” Lina asked, “The school we run is to train kids to kill Mazoku! We could care less about the Elmekian Empire, so much as you keep within your borders and don’t hold terrifying devices created by Mazoku Lords!”

 

“Oh,” Gregory said sheepishly as he looked at Gourry. “So, how’ve you been?”

 

* * *

 

“You don’t think the food is poisoned, do you?” Gourry whispered to Lina.

 

“What?” Lina asked.

 

“You’ve barely eaten!”

 

“Oh,” Lina said as she took a bite of the feast, “No, it’s fine.”

 

But she wasn’t fine. Gregory had insisted on throwing a victory banquet, and all of the ambassador types wanted to establish relations with the new Emperor that they hoped would be friendlier than the previous ones. So even though all Lina wanted to do was go home and talk to her mother, she had to stick around for the feast.

 

And she couldn’t stop worrying about the fall she had taken once the net broke. While she was fairly sure she wasn’t bleeding, the worry that she had potentially hurt a hypothetical child she was carrying kept popping into her head. “I’m just ready to get home.” She said.

 

“That’s not like you.”

 

“Lady Lina.” Maeve said as she squeezed into the bench beside her, “I did horribly, didn’t I?”

 

Lina patted her on the back. “Everyone messes up on their first time. And sometimes on their fortieth. It takes time for this to feel natural. What matters is that after you messed up you learned from it and did better. You didn’t curl up and give up after your Ray Breeze.”

 

“You also did good with that one spell when that soldier got you.” Gourry pointed out. “I don’t think you did as poorly as you think you did.”

 

“But I need to be better!” Maeve said fiercely. Lina let Gourry console her as she got up and decided to find a place to relieve herself and check for bleeding.

 

When she returned to the dinner, after casting a Recovery spell, just in case, she was comforted with the knowledge that if she was pregnant than for now it looked as though she hadn’t hurt it. She walked up to Naga, determined to get her to agree to leave first thing in the morning. Not only did she want to get back to her school, but she was eagerly awaiting that jar of pickles she was more and more certain would be waiting there for her.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for the camels spitting when Naga laughs aroused from a conversation with Anna Nimmie Tee. Hope you enjoyed!


	33. Chapter 33

Xellos quietly watched from the astral plane as Lina and the others made their way to the Zeferian border. He silently examined Lina’s astral form as Stover and Nimals stood beside him, nervously. Eventually Nimals said, “You see it, don’t you?”

At first Xellos had thought that Stover’s nerves had gotten the better of him when confronting Lina, but when Nimals had said he’d seen it manifest within her, Xellos knew he had to check it out. And at the moment, Xellos was thanking their lucky stars that Stover and Nimals had stood down, even if they hadn’t understood the reasons for its appearance. “I do.” Xellos replied.

Lucifer’s power was housed within Lina’s body. Lina, who had so casually and blasphemously referred to it as the Lord of Nightmares and had performed a spell that caused it to possess her. Even though it had abandoned her and left Lina to live her life, it looked as though the experience had altered her enough to foul up his plans in the present time.

“How is it possible?” Nimals asked.

“It doesn’t mean what you think it does.” Xellos stated as he watched as the humans huddled together to discuss what they were going to do now that they were safely at the border with Zeferia. “It has not taken over Lina Inverse, she is still a mortal human. She is carrying a child with a fragment of its power.”

“What?” Stover asked. “But I don’t see a baby anywhere!”

“It’s inside of her. She is pregnant.” Xellos said as he was confounded yet again by how little some Mazoku knew about humans. When Stover and Nimals continued to stare at him in confusion, he explained, “It’s something humans do when they want to create little humans.”

Stover and Nimals still looked confused, but Xellos was not in a mood to explain about human reproduction, “All you need to know is that Lina is not the mother of all things and it was hideous of Lina to speak on its behalf. For now you are not to go near her. Stover, we’re going to have to rethink your assignment completely. Stand by for now. I need to consult with Lord Greater Beast. This is going to create quite a few problems.”

Xellos then teleported to where his lord was. She regarded him with interest, “So?”

“Lord Greater Beast Zelas Metallium. It appears that Lina Inverse is with child. And it appears that there are some continuing complications from that spell she cast two years ago.” Xellos explained, having little doubt that Greater Beast would figure out where he was going.

Greater Beast sighed in annoyance, “Who knows how that will even affect a human child. It will likely be powerful but in ways we can’t predict. And in ways that aren’t good for us. Hellmaster Phibrizo’s scheme continues to have calamitous consequences.” 

“I would recommend that we put on hold our plans to attack Maninstit. Even if she is pregnant, Lina Inverse would not cower in the basement while there is a fight going on above her. The risk that we could attack and harm it…”

“Agreed.” Greater Beast said dully, “what’s a few more months when this war has already dragged on for a millennia? And if we play a very long game,” she said as her voice raised in pitch in the manner that it did when she came up with a plan, “then perhaps this can work in our favor.”

“My Lord?” Xellos asked, but Greater Beast was quiet as she contemplated the matter.

When she did speak again, it was very deliberate, “Lina Inverse’s pregnancy will have to continue. We can’t attack Lord Lucifer in any form. But we can’t let this child be raised by humans and grow up to be their ally. The power it would have would be unthinkable and we’ve already suffered enough losses. But what if we can turn this into a gain? What if we can turn it into our ally?”

Xellos did his best to appear neutral. On the one hand, she had a point. And it was a good idea. The only problem was that he could only see one way to ensure that it would be their ally. Before he could say anything Greater Beast asked, “Xellos, what is the earliest that we can separate the child from its mother?”

“From what I understand, so long as their physical needs are met, a human child can be separated from its mother at birth.”

“When will that occur?” Greater Beast asked.

“I do not know, but I will find out.”

“See that you do. The moment it is born we will claim it.” Greater Beast said and then she made a face, “And then we will raise it, distasteful though it may be, and then it will be in our control and when it is an adult we will use it to usher in the destruction of the world.”

Xellos thought for a moment. “While the ordeal of bringing a baby into the world is said to leave human women incapacitated, so Lina Inverse would likely be left powerless, or with her capacities reduced. And while I would usually say I could defeat Gourry Gabirev easily, with or without the Blast Sword, humans are fiercely protective of their young. And this is not a couple I would ever want to underestimate. The other problem would be Lina Inverse’s sister, the Ceiphied Knight.”

“Do humans have their sisters attend their births?”

“I’m not sure.” Xellos said, “And her relationship with her sister seems to move from warm to cold and back again.”

“Find out where the Ceiphied Knight will be. Come up with a plan. I am sure Deep Sea Dolphin will assist in any way that she can. You are right, we can’t afford to underestimate this couple.” 

“Yes, my lord.”

“And find out all that is needed to raise a human baby so that we may be prepared.” Greater Beast said.

“Yes, my lord.” Xellos said. “And about our plans for the Elmekian Empire?”

She sighed, “It is unfortunate that Gregory Gabriev found out about Nimals. But I believe we can put Stover in his government, or we can see about getting one of the other factions in the country to assassinate Gregory Gabriev and take over.”

“Right, my lord.”

“We can recover from this. Once the child is born and once it is safely in our custody we will destroy Maninstit. Meanwhile we need to convince the other kingdoms that Maninstit is a threat to them and to see Zeferia as a threat. Because of the previous Emperor’s folly with Hellmaster’s device, that is going to be so much harder with Zeferia being the hero of the hour so to say. But human memories are short, and their moods volatile. We will take advantage of that. Meanwhile, you know your orders.”

“Yes, my lord,” Xellos said as he teleported away back to where Lina was.

He had been busy destroying Claire Bible manuscripts when he’d learned about Lina and Gourry’s plans to start a school to train people to kill Mazoku. Since the news broke among his people there had been a frantic effort to destroy Maninstit. He had been assigned to Dils to see what he could salvage from the situation there, and had been quite unaware of events going on in Lina’s life until Stover and Nimals had come to him. And he wasn’t particularly thrilled about spending who knows how long spying on Lina until she decided to share her due date with someone. He could think of many other more interesting things he could do with his time. But still, orders were orders, and he was bound to his regardless of how little he liked them. So he settled in and watched as she said good bye to the other ambassadors who were getting ready to go back to their countries. “Are you sure you don’t want a ride home in the carriage?” asked one of the representatives from the Coastal States.

“No thanks,” Lina said, “We’re fine walking.”

“But it’s so far!” the Zeferian princess, Maeve, said.

“You’re going to have to get used to it if you want to do this work.” Gourry said firmly.

“And walking is good for you.” Lina said, “Besides, you don’t see Naga complaining.”

“Those carriages are so cramped and uncomfortable.” Naga whined, “Besides, you get to see more of the world when you walk.”

“Are you coming back to Maninstit with us?” Lina asked.

Naga laughed, and Xellos found himself hoping she would do it again. The distress she produced when she did that was amusing. “No, I have other things to do. But perhaps if you ask very nicely, Lina, and…”

“Oh get real!” Lina exclaimed, “I was just being polite. Stay away as long as you like!”

“Well, I guess I will have to drop by soon to see the baby.” Naga said, and Xellos’ ears pricked as he couldn’t believe his luck. “Whenever that will happen.”

“Late in the autumn.” Lina said. “And don’t get so drunk that you spend the next two years sleeping under a bush and miss it!”

Xellos smiled. Well, the first part of this mission was easier than he had expected. Finding out what a human child needed to survive would be easier. Naga laughed again as Xellos teleported away, he caught a whiff of the happiness that Lina was feeling, and he thought once again about how he was going to hate this assignment.

* * *

Even though the sun had set, they kept on their way to Maninstit. None of them had wanted to camp out and everyone was eager to get home, even if it meant getting home at midnight. Lina thought that Zel might still be awake, and perhaps her mother if she’d had a fit of nerves, but was expecting everyone else to be in bed. So she was surprised to see Jackie and Nerys standing outside the door like sentries when they approached. “You’re back!” Jackie exclaimed when he saw them, “Thank goodness!”

“Hey, we weren’t in too much danger.” Lina said.

“No! You have to save us from Miss Luna!” he said.

“Huh?” Lina replied.

“Jackie and half of the kids in this school are just too soft.” Nerys said disdainfully.

“She’s organized us to do guard duty! Said someone had to watch the entryways at all times to make sure a Mazoku doesn’t come in again.”

“It’s good practice for when you get into the field and have to take the odd job to cover the bills.” Lina said, and Jackie’s mouth fell open.

“You mean you’re not going to send us cash?” he asked.

Lina bopped him on the head, “Rule number one, never rely on money to just be handed out to you!”

“I could have told you that.” Nerys said.

Jackie flailed for a moment, and then came back with, “And she’s making us clean the manor! She says if we clean the downstairs then they won’t have to pay Alona so much and she can just focus on the upstairs.”

“Might see about letting you into some of the common rooms upstairs to clean them as well.” Lina said thoughtfully as Maeve looked at her in horror of the idea of cleaning, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

“B-but…” Jackie stuttured as Maeve exclaimed, “But I’m a princess!”

“You’re getting this world class education for free!” Lina snapped, “You might as well put some elbow grease into it. Anyway, I’m tired. Keep a good watch out.”

“Can’t there be an exception for royalty?” Maeve asked as they walked into the foyer.

“If you didn’t want to get your hands dirty then you shouldn’t have left the palace.” Lina said.

“You have no mercy.” Gourry said as he wrapped an arm around her.

“Don’t you forget it.” Lina said, and then she looked at Maeve and softened a bit, “Look, you worked hard these past few weeks. Go ahead and sleep in tomorrow.”

“But…” Maeve said.

Lina shook her head, “Always rest and recuperate after a big mission! You don’t want to burn through your life energy so guard it closely! There is nothing going on tomorrow that is so important that you need to drag yourself up for it. Night.”

“Right.” Maeve said, “Night.”

“Lina!” Leia said as she ran out of the kitchen and grabbed her, “Thank goodness you’re home safe!”

“Nothing happened while we were away?” Lina asked as she returned the hug before Leia relaxed and went to hug Gourry.

“No, but these times when you’re away get harder to tolerate. I was so nervous I couldn’t even sleep tonight and came down to make myself some tea. I hope you won’t be doing this again for a long time.” Leia said, “So everything went okay?”

“Well, we destroyed Hellmaster’s device.” Lina explained, “But Gourry’s brother killed the old emperor and became the new emperor.”

“Huh?” Leia asked.

Gourry said, “If you’ll excuse me, I want to get washed up and crash.”

“Go on, I’ll be up in a bit.” Lina said.

“You’re not tired?” Leia asked as she looked Lina over carefully.

“I’m rather wound up myself. Some tea sounds good.” Lina said as she started to walk towards the kitchen, her heart hammering in her chest.

“Hm.” Leia said noncommittally as they walked into the kitchen as the door closed behind them.

Lina took a moment to make sure that no kids were listening at the door, and then she pounced, “Do you notice anything different about me?”

Leia smiled, “Oh honey,” she said as she pulled her into a hug, “I was about to get the pickles if that’s what you were asking.”

Lina gasped in a mixture of relief and excitement as Leia continued, “And I do hope that means you’ll stay home for longer than a few months this time.”

“I guess I won’t have much of a choice.” Lina said. “But I wasn’t when I left?”

Leia shrugged as she pulled away and walked over to where she had already filled a kettle with water, “Who knows how long the time is between when these things happen and they become noticeable? Why? Oh, are you feeling okay? Amelia’s started to feel rather poorly and I have plenty of remedies.”

“I feel fine. Better than fine actually.” Lina said as she leaned against the counter. “I have so much energy I don’t know what to do with myself, I barely sleep anymore. And…I’ve been glowing. And scaring Mazoku.”

Leia nearly dropped the kettle. “Glowing?”

“Gourry first noticed it the night he was attacked. And you know how strange that Mazoku acted that night. Gourry’s noticed it several times, and when we were in the Elmekian Empire I scared off another Mazoku. They think I’m the Lord of Nightmares!”

Leia bit her lip as she slowly turned red and her hand balled into a fist. Lina frowned, “Uh, Mom?”

“Oh if it wouldn’t mean spilling your secret I would storm into your sister’s room, pull her bedcovers off and give her a good tongue lashing!”

“Why?” Lina asked in alarm. 

“Because your pregnancy is blessed.”

“What do you mean?” Lina asked.

“When I was expecting Luna, I also had a lot of energy. When the midwife found out she sent me to a shrine maiden who did some further tests and explained that when a woman carries a child with a fragment of a god in their soul, one of the first things they notice is an excess of energy during the pregnancy.” Leia explained, “The energy and power from the fragment of that soul is transferred to the woman carrying the child, so instead of feeling tired and drained from growing a baby, she feels an excess of energy.”

Part of Lina was surprised that she didn’t know that. But then, she never liked reading up on things related to the Ceiphied Knights. It reminded her of how much Luna’s powers eclipsed hers. “So I have this energy and they think I’m the Lord of Nightmares, then that would mean…damn!”

“She knew this would happen! She was wanting for this to happen.” Leia said. 

“What would that even mean? What sort of powers will he manifest?” Lina wondered aloud. 

“I doubt that this has ever happened before.” Leia said as she handed Lina a cup of tea.

Lina’s eyes narrowed, “I can’t argue with that. Or that this is what Sis was wanting. But why didn’t she tell me that this would happen? I mean, I would have liked to have known that this could have happened!” 

“Well, you can ask her tomorrow.” Leia said, and then she considered her daughter, “You do want this baby?”

“Yes,” Lina said, “I mean, Gourry and I were heading in that direction anyway. But I don’t like the idea of raising soldiers for Sis’ army.”

“I don’t want you to, either.” Leia agreed, “And I can understand if you’re angry with her right now, I am too. But don’t let the anger drown out your happiness.”

Lina took a sip of her tea, “Oh, I’ll have my reckoning with Sis. But I’m not going to let her take the happiness from this. You should know me better.”

Leia shook her head, “Luna is such a wild card in matters concerning you, and to be honest, you’re a wild card in matters concerning her. And I want this to be a happy time for you.”

“Well, if I continue to feel this good it’s not like I can be too mad at her. I don’t exactly want to feel tired and sick all of the time like Amelia is, you know? And hell, not even Sis can make Mazoku run in terror from her, so I can’t say I’m not liking this right now. And does this make giving birth easier?” Lina asked.

“Unfortunately, no.” Leia said, “But Amelia keeps raving about advances in midwifery that Saillune has. How far behind her are you? We can probably get her midwife to stay on to tend to you as well.” 

“My cycles stopped two weeks after hers did.”

“Then your time would overlap, yes, that would work out well.” Leia mused contemplatively.

“Two weeks wouldn’t be too long to stay extra.” Lina said.

Leia chuckled, “It doesn’t work like that. Some women carry their babies for longer than others.”

“What?” Lina asked.

“Well, you know Ellis? She was born a week after you were, even though her mother was pregnant before I was. Some women carry their babies for a month longer than others! So if Amelia carries hers for a long time and you don’t, then you could deliver at the same time, or before her even.”

“Wow.” Lina said, “That’s crazy.”

“Welcome to the world of pregnancy!” Leia said.

Lina clasped her on the shoulder, “Well, on this topic it looks like I have a lot to learn.”

* * *

It had been hard to not wake Gourry up when she got to their room. But he needed the rest. In many ways the timing had been perfect. The trip to the Elmekian Empire had been hard on him, and she was glad that she had news that was so desired to wake him up with. But she also couldn’t bear the thought of waking him. Nor could she sleep. So she watched him as she laid in bed with him, anticipating the moment when he would wake. At last his blue eyes fluttered open, and he smiled when he saw her and pulled her close for a kiss. “Morning, sunshine.” He said.

“Morning, birthday boy.” She replied.

He stopped for a moment, “How did you know it was my birthday?”

“Well, your mother’s visit did have a few benefits.” Lina said as she kissed him again as she reflected that the timing had been very fortuitous.

“You’re not planning a big party or anything, are you?” he asked as he pulled away.

“No, actually.” She said as her heart pounded, “You’re not mad are you?”

“No,” he said, “Relieved. It’s just a day.”

“But don’t you want presents and stuff?”

He smiled, “Waking up with you in my bed is the best present. Though, since you asked,” he pulled her to him and whispered in her ear, “What are you getting me?”

“Well, it will take some time to arrive.”

“It must be something big.” He said as he started to nuzzle at her neck.

She took a deep breath and grabbed his hand and put it on her stomach. “But not too big. I am going to have to get him out.”

He sat up in the bed and stared at her, but never took his hand off her stomach, “You mean you’re...?”

“Yes!” she said as she put her hand over his, “It’s going to be a few months, but our baby is on the way.”

“Our baby!’” he said as his eyes lit. “When?”

“Late in the autumn.” She said.

“You said him. Do you know it’s a boy?”

“No way to tell until he comes out. I’m just guessing really.”

“And you’re feeling okay?” he asked.

“Better than okay.” She said as she smiled wryly as she wondered how he would take the news, “It’s actually why the glowing started happening.”

“Huh?” he asked.

Lina started to explain as he laid beside her. When she finished he said, “So he’s going to be very powerful, like Luna?”

“More powerful, probably.” Lina said.

“But other than that he will be a normal kid?” he asked, and then he grinned mischievously. “Well, as normal as he can be when you’re his mother.”

Lina sat up, “Just what are you implying!? And if you think he will be weird because I’m the mother then just think of what you being the father will do to him, soup for brains!”

He pulled her close and kissed her, “Yeah, I guess it was a stupid idea to have a normal kid, wasn’t it?”

She smiled and kissed him again, “Now that you put it that way, I guess it was.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out how Mazoku would address the LON was hard, and I'm still doing a lot of guesswork. In the novels when Lina says "Lord of nightmares" Xellos blanches and chastises her and says that even it's name is too great for a Mazoku of his stature to hear, so I don't think Xellos would say "Lord of Nightmares" (there are also translation issues with the novel apparently, but the gist is that the LON is an alias and even the alias is too great a name for Xellos to hear and that he took offense at how casually Lina referred to it). He never addresses LON by name and refers to LON in neutral pronouns such as it and them.
> 
> When I was asking Kaette-kita about it she ended up doing some research and found an interview where HK revealed that the LON's real name is Lucifer. I decided perhaps Greater Beast might be powerful enough to say its name, but not Xellos. In the anime Xellos does refer to it as "the mother of all things" and Phibrizo calls her "mother" so I took from that a bit though there's nothing in the novels to suggest that Mazoku would do this. I'm also sticking to gender neutral pronouns (and confusingly sometimes singular sometimes plural) for the LON even though its usually depicted as a woman.
> 
> I experimented with the idea of Lina's Giga Slave affecting her future children first in "Desolation" but want to play around with it more. And I think the powers manifested will be very different this time, lol.
> 
> I had also hoped I would have this chapter up by Father's Day to continue my streak of getting chapters up at appropriate holidays, but it did not work out this time. I hope all the fathers out there had a wonderful day last weekend!


	34. Chapter 34

“Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting to usher in a regime change.” Luna said as she sat in one of the upstairs sitting rooms with Lina, Gourry, and a rather green looking Amelia. “What do you believe this means for relations between our countries?”

Gourry shrugged, “Well, things may be friendlier than under the old Emperor. But always keep an eye out for the catch.”

“Hm.” Luna mused. “Well, relations with the Elmekian Empire are bit outside of my circle, though I know that the Eternal Queen will want to speak with you. Princess Amelia, do you have any questions?”

“Justice was served.” Amelia said as she put her hand over her mouth as her eyes bugged out, “And now it will rest.”

“Nothing Mom has given you has worked?” Luna asked sympathetically.

Amelia groaned, “No. I wrote to my daddy and begged him to send me the latest cure for this from Saillune but I’ve not heard back yet. I don’t get it! Everyone else in my family had easy pregnancies.”

“I guess you’re just exceptional like that.” Lina said as she looked at Gourry, who shrugged. “Anyway, Sis, I’ve been meaning to ask. How is it that you never mentioned that glowing gold and Mazoku mistaking you for the Lord of Nightmares would be side effects of pregnancy?”

“What?” Amelia exclaimed as she sat up and a light sparked in her eyes, “Miss Lina! You’re…!”

“It worked!” Luna said at the same time as she smacked her palm with her hand satisfactorily.

“What do you mean ‘it worked!’?” Lina asked, “And why didn’t you tell me this could happen?”

Before Luna could answer, Amelia had run up to her and thrown her arms around her as she yelled, “Congratulations! Oh this is going to be so exciting! We fought beside each other and now we’re going to be pregnant together!”

Lina was a little miffed that her attempt to be stern with Luna was interrupted, but she couldn't help but chuckle a little as she returned the hug, “Yeah, I guess this will be a new type of challenge.”

Amelia pulled away abruptly as she put a hand on her stomach, “I just hope yours is kinder to you than mine is.”

Lina looked at her sympathetically as the princess laid back down on the couch with a moan as Luna considered her sister, “Congrats! If I try to hug you, will you bite my head off?”

Lina summoned her most serious glare, “Gourry and I want to know what’s going on. And we have a right to know! It’s our child!”

“It is.” Luna agreed, “After word reached us that you had used the Giga Slave to defeat Hellmaster Phibrizo, the Eternal Queen and I were discussing the depth of the feelings you must have had for your guardian.”

Even though Lina had ended up marrying him, she found herself blushing at the idea that people were discussing it as Amelia smiled sappily. Luna, meanwhile, continued, further mortifying Lina when she said, “The Eternal Queen wondered what sort of child would result if you decided to consummate such a love.”

“Why were you and the Eternal Queen discussing my sex life!?” Lina screamed as Gourry blushed beside her.

“It’s what royals do.” Amelia explained. “Sit around and discuss who is sleeping with who and the pedigree of the children they will produce.”

“And I’m sure it was just your hypothetical sex life at the time.” Luna said with a smirk. “You still seemed quite virginal when you got home.”

Lina turned purple as Luna said, “Oh honey, you were quite young then. No one thought anything of it. The Eternal Queen said as much and that it would be a pity, because given the right conditions you could birth a child who has a fragment of the Lord of Nightmares in their soul. But she concluded that by the time you would be old enough it would be to late.”

“Too late?” Lina asked, feeling grateful at least that her parents weren’t in the room.

“Because the Eternal Queen was sure that with each passing year your typical state would be more and more restored, and that after five years it would have been as if the Lord of Nightmares had never possessed you.”

“So that’s why you were rushing everything.” Lina said, “Now, why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because your wish for a child had to be pure.” Luna explained.

“Huh?” Gourry asked.

“The Lord of Nightmares responds to pure wishes. Lina’s desire to see Gourry live was a pure wish, uncorrupted by other desires. The beauty of it is that your odds of having a child blessed with its power was strengthened by marrying him and fulfilling that wish to have him in your world by building a life with him.”

“That’s so sweet and romantic.” Amelia drawled from the couch, “I think I have to barf.”

“So, just like your wish for Gourry’s life had to be pure, your wish for a child had to be pure, uncorrupted by other desires to have a super powerful child.”

“I wouldn’t have cared either way.” Gourry said.

“But I think that the temptation to have a child more powerful than my children, and more powerful than me, would have been too great for Lina.” Luna said matter-of-factly as Lina reddened.

“Now wait a minute!” Lina exclaimed.

“If there is a flaw in my reasoning, feel free to point it out.” Luna said openly.

Lina felt smoke blow out of her ears as she sat there, slack jawed. The problem was, Luna was right. She’d actually had a good reason to keep it from her. If Luna had told her, then Lina would have forever cursed her for blowing her chance to have such a powerful child. Meanwhile, Luna pressed, “So you see, I was in an impossible situation. If I’d told you, I would have ruined your one shot to surpass me.”

“Oh you did not even!” Lina yelled as she got to her feet, “I already surpassed you! When was the last time you’ve defeated the Dark Lord?”

“That’s not a nice way to thank me for the gift that I gave you.”

“She’s gonna blow!” Amelia exclaimed as Lina glowed with anger.

“Take it down a notch, I’d much rather not fight you in your condition.” Luna snapped. “Now, about the announcement…” 

“Hold it!” Lina said, “There will be no announcement! This information does not leave this room! Amelia can tell Zel and that’s it!”

“Lina,” Amelia said, “You’re not going to be able to keep this a secret for long. People are going to notice. I mean, half of your students thought you were pregnant before you left!”

“Then we’ll keep them speculating!” Lina said, “First I don’t need all these kids giggling stupidly at me every time I walk in and using this to ask me about the birds and the bees! Second, I definitely don’t need more reasons to give the Mazoku race to target me! Those first two were stupid enough to think I was the Lord of Nightmares, but a smarter one, one like Xellos? He’d figure it out and then who knows what trouble we’ll be in! I want to keep this a secret for as long as I’m able.”

Luna shrugged, “The announcement can wait until after the baby arrives. But I am afraid that I have to tell you that the High Priest of Zeferia will have to be there to witness this miraculous birth.”

“What!?” Lina screeched as her hair stood on end, “Oh no! Oh hell no! I get complete control over who is in the room when that happens!”

“A blessed birth is a very special event, and the priest has to ensure that the child is brought into the world in the right way. He will have to ensure that all of the proper protocols are followed and that the baby is promptly anointed and that you do everything flawlessly.”

“It’s not so bad,” Amelia said, “I mean, the Queen of Saillune has to have the Prime Minister in the room to assure that the child actually came from her body and was not switched at birth.”

“I can’t believe you’re backing her!” Gourry exclaimed.

“I’ll be giving birth, not putting on some god damn show! Inheritance won’t be an issue and I’m pretty sure we’ll know who this kid is! And if welcoming him into the world is that big of a deal then find a priestess!” Lina snapped, “What are you going to do if I refuse? Channel your will into me again? Would you really risk doing that now and hurting the child? Or do you want to take me and Gourry on again?”

Luna shrugged, “Have it that way then. A priest won't have to attend. But soon after the child is born you will have to come to Zefiel City and where he will be anointed and a parade will be thrown in his honor.” 

Lina’s mouth dropped as she realized she’d just fallen for Luna’s door in the face scheme. She shook her head. “Fine, we’ll do the stupid ceremony. But look, I want to know right now if there are going to be anymore surprises.”

Luna smiled mysteriously. “You know all I know.”

“That’s not reassuring.” Lina said.

“Rest. Try not to get so wound up about these things. It’s not good for the baby if you get so mad all of the time.” Luna said as she got up and patted her on the shoulder, “And I am happy for you. For you, not for what this means to the world. For this to have worked you must have wanted this child. I hope you’re feeling well.”

Lina felt the strange sense of being uncertain how to feel that she often experienced around her sister. “I’m feeling fine. Really.”

Luna kissed her on the forehead, “I hope this is easy for you. Now, I’ve got to get back home. I miss my boys. Gourry, congrats, I know you will be a great father.”

“Thanks.” Gourry said as Luna patted him on the shoulder as Leia walked into the room.

“Luna.” Leia said sweetly as she wrapped an arm around her, “On your way home to Zefiel City? Mind if I accompany you? I’d like to see my grandsons.”

“Sure.” Luna said.

They walked out, and a few moments later they could hear Luna yelling, “Ow, Mom!? What was that for! Lina wasn’t even too mad about it!”

Lina suddenly grinned as they could hear Leia yelling indecipherably, “Oh, she is going to get it!”

“Luna won’t do that thing with her that she does with you?” Gourry asked.

“Only in extraordinary circumstances.” Lina explained. “Her sense of duty will allow her to do it only if she has a good reason.”

“What’s scares me is that I think she was lying about this being the last surprise.” Gourry said.

“You got that impression too?” Lina asked as she held his hand. “But what can we do about it?”

Gourry glanced out the window, “Looks like Zel has gone to practice. Mind if I go and tell him?”

“Go ahead.” Lina said. “But make sure no kids are around, I don’t want this getting out yet.”

“Most said they were going into town to see a show.” Amelia said, “So the manor is rather empty today.”

“I’ll be careful.” He said as he gave Lina a quick kiss, and then he glanced at Amelia, “I hope you feel better soon.”

“Me too.” Amelia said as he left, “I still don’t see how you’re not shouting this news loudly from the top of the mountain.” 

“Well, it’s not that I’m not excited, I just don’t want kids giggling at me and seeing proof that I’ve been involved so to say.” Lina explained. 

Amelia looked at her strangely, “You’re newly married. Everyone expects you to be involved right now.”

“There’s a difference between speculating and knowing!” Lina maintained, “Plus, these kids aren’t going to keep it a secret. They’ll write to their friends and family about it and before we know it my enemies will know. Though I guess I’m at the strongest point in my life I’ve ever been in, I still don’t want to tempt things. Actually, I’m going to need your help figuring out how to hide a bump when the time comes.”

“What makes you think I would know how to do such a thing?” Amelia asked.

“Isn’t that something they teach in princess school, just in case?”

“I would never find myself in that position!” Amelia said indignantly, “But, now that you mention it, I did have to help a friend one time. Oh, this will be so much fun, oh,” Amelia groaned as she made a face and put her hand over her mouth again, “Once this morning sickness passes. So you’re not feeling sick at all?”

“No,” Lina said, though it felt a bit cruel to rub in just how good she was feeling as Jeeves came in.

“Princess Amelia, this has arrived for you.” He said as he brought her a package.

“Oh good, it’s from Daddy! Hopefully he’ll have something that works.” She said as she tore it open and took the first bottle she found and drank it as Jeeves left. “Oh, a letter.”

“How’s your dad doing?” Lina asked.

“Oh no!” Amelia exclaimed.

“What?” Lina asked.

“My stepmother is also pregnant.” Amelia said.

“Isn’t that good news?” Lina asked.

“I guess, but he won’t be able to stay with me for long before he has to go back up to Saillune to be with her.” Amelia explained. “He’ll have to leave before autumn ends. That’s cutting it so close!”

“Man, that is bad timing.” Lina agreed. “Well, I’m sure if you just talk to it and let it know that it wouldn’t be just if its granddad wasn’t there to greet it, it will pop out on time.”

Amelia groaned as she put her hand over her mouth again, “I don’t think this medicine is working either!” she cried as she fled from the room, clutching her stomach the whole time.  


* * *

  
Gourry quietly walked down to the yard where he had noticed Zel practicing sword play in the window. It was the weekend, so the kids were out on their various errands and Gourry was confident that none were hanging around, “Hey.” He said as he approached Zel, who had his back turned towards him.

“Dil Brand!” Zelgadis yelled as he spun around.

“Wha…” Gourry cried as he flew up in the air and managed to recover his surprise enough to move to land in a way that protected him as he fell. “Hey! What was that for?”

“Damn, Gourry, I’m sorry.” Zel said as he held his hand forward. “I thought…I thought you were another assassin. Do you need a recovery spell?”

“No,” Gourry said as he looked at him as he let Zelgadis pull him up and noted that the other man’s hand was shaking. “You’re lucky it was me and not one of the kids, or one of our wives for that matter.” 

“You’re right, I know.” Zel said, sounding both guilty and nervous. “I just thought that since Han had taken all of the kids down to that town event no one would come down until closer to lunch time. Perhaps you can work me through some drills? I’ve maxed out with Han and I need to get better.”

“Sure.” Gourry said as he grabbed a practice sword and listened to make sure that they were alone as he studied the other man. Zel couldn’t seem to stop shaking. Was it guilt over the Dil Brand? Or something else? Either way he needed to be cautious. If Zel was jumpy enough that he was throwing Dil Brands at people who approached then he would be dangerous to spar with, even if they were just using wooden swords. “I’m serious, though. Look, Lina’s pregnant too, and neither she or Amelia need to be on the wrong end of a Dil Brand like that!”

Zel looked down, “No, of course. It won’t happen again.”

Gourry softened his stance a little, “We’re not telling people for now. Just you, Amelia and Lina’s parents and sister. Lina doesn’t want anyone else knowing right now.”

“Smart. Your wife is smart.” Zelgadis replied as he assumed a defensive stance, his hands shaking so much that he couldn’t hold the sword steady, “I really wish Amelia hadn’t already told everyone she’s ever met!”

“What’s with you?” Gourry asked as he stood down. 

Zelgadis sighed and relaxed. “That night with the assassin was the first fight I’ve been in since regaining my human form. And that Mazoku washed the floor with me. I was completely useless. Those wounds I took that night? Would barely have scratched me as a chimera. And then I froze, and let everyone down. And now Amelia’s pregnant and told everyone and I’m scared to death that it will happen again. I’m just so…so weak now! But wanting to be strong is what got me in bad place to begin with. So I don’t know what to do anymore.”

“You’re still a good swordsman.” Gourry said, “And you’re having to find your strengths and weaknesses all over again and get comfortable with that. It takes time. And at least it looks like sorceresses get stronger when they’re pregnant so it’s not as though the burden is just on you. Amelia can do her part. So don’t worry so much.”

“Amelia didn’t say anything to you, did she?” Zel asked, “I’ve been trying so hard to keep how rattled I’ve been from her.”

“Honestly I think she’s too sick to notice much of anything right now.” Gourry said as he patted him on the back as his concern grew. When he was a mercenary he would occasionally fight with people who tense and would shake like Zel was. It wasn’t a road he would wish for anyone to walk down.

“It’s bad enough that she’s going through all this, now I can barely keep it together anymore! She’s going to notice that I’m starting to lose it and it will just make things worse for her!” Zelgadis said frantically, as though he had been holding it in for so long that now that the opportunity arose to talk about it, he couldn’t stop.

“You been having nightmares?” Gourry asked quietly.

“Did she tell you? I didn’t think she’d noticed!” Zelgadis said.

“Amelia didn’t say anything.” Gourry assured him as he flailed for a way to help him, “And hey, I have something for you. It will make you stronger. I should have given it to you when you first came to Maninstit, but I didn’t think about it until now. I mean, I thought we’d put our days of actually fighting Mazoku behind us.”

“What is it?” Zel asked as he followed Gourry as he started walking back to the manor.

“Someone Lina and I traveled with for a little bit had a magical sword, and we found it after he died.” Gourry explained quietly. “I never use it anymore because I have the Blast Sword, though it’s a good sword on its own. I think he’d want you to have it.”

“Was the one of the treasure hunter’s swords?” Zelgadis asked.

“Yes.” Gourry said as they entered the building and made their way towards the stairs. “You can absorb magical spells with it and release them. Not sure what would have happened with those exploding jewels we were hit with that night, but it will give you some more protection. Your magic isn’t what it used to be, isn’t it?”

Zelgadis shook his head, “I knew it would happen. I wasn’t much of a sorcerer until I became a chimera. I’m still better than I was before I was turned, but I just don’t have the capacity I used to. I can still do a Fireball, but not a Ra Tilt.”

“I was able to absorb a spell that Dynast’s General used with this. So you won’t need to do those big spells anymore. There’s a lot of tricks to it, I’ll teach you what I’ve learned.” Gourry said as they got to his room. Quietly he walked to his weapon’s chest and unlocked it and pulled out the sword that was in it. 

“It’s called the Sword of Absorption.” Gourry said as he gave it to Zelgadis. “And I want you to use it to protect your family.”

Gourry noticed that Zel‘s grip was tight as he took the sword. Zel relaxed as he stopped trembling as he took a few practice swings. “That’s one we’re really going to want to take outside to practice with. Once the kids get back we can even have them power it up with stronger spells. There’s a lot of neat tricks to it I can help you to get the hang of.”

“Thank you.” Zelgadis said quietly, the relief evident in his voice. “Really. This helps a lot.”

“You’d do the same for me. Ready to go down?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was writing [Royal Pains,](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8624920/chapters/19777327) a story about Zel and Amelia confronting infertility while Lina is pregnant, I had a scene where Amelia mourns the potential to experience pregnancy with her friend. [Brendala went and drew an awesome doodle for the scene,](https://theslayers.livejournal.com/726098.html?thread=9471826#t9471826) and that really made me want to write a story where Lina and Amelia are pregnant together. So it’s finally here!
> 
> And someone has to have horrendous morning sickness in my stories. I survived hyperemesis gravidarum, twice (and that’s why I won’t get pregnant again, lol!) Most women gain weight when they get pregnant. I, on the other hand, lost weight when I was pregnant. So when I write about it, someone has to suffer, bwahaha. And since I have already put Lina through it, it’s Amelia’s turn!


	35. Chapter 35

Zel released the Elmekia Lance that he had powered the Sword of Absorption with at Gourry, who sliced through it with the Blast Blade. Zel had quickly gotten the handle of releasing spells, but he wouldn’t be able to fully appreciate what the sword could do until he tried absorbing spells that were thrown at him. “Wow!” Clark said as he came up to them, several other kids with him. “That was incredible!”

“What is that?” Owen asked. Everyone was familiar with Gourry’s sword. Zel’s was another matter.

“It’s called the Sword of Absorption, and it can catch and release magical spells.” Zelgadis explained as Han came up.

“Where did you get that?” Han asked as a green hue shown in his eyes.

“Gourry gave it to me.” Zel explained. “Hey, who wants to throw a spell at me and see if I can catch it?”

“Me!” Several of them clamored.

Meanwhile, Gourry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as Han sent him a frosty glare. Gourry’s eyes widened as Han seemed to grow taller as he lumbered over to him, an expression of barely concealed rage on his face.

“What?” Gourry asked.

“You gave Zel a powerful magical sword and you didn’t get me anything?”

“Er,” Gourry said as he fidgeted with his collar as several of the kids stopped watching Zel to watch them. “I kind of forgot I had it until now.”

“Well do you have another one stashed away somewhere for me?” Han asked as Ace threw a Burst Rondo at Zelgadis.

“Well, I’d have to check with Lina to be sure...but I don’t think so.” Gourry said as he felt the sweat form on his brow. 

“Wow, this is incredible!” Zelgadis exclaimed, completely oblivious to the confrontation happening just feet away from him.

Gourry felt his stomach lurch as it sunk in just how many son-in-law points he’d lost as Han glared at him and Gourry realized that Lina got the temper equally from both parents. “But if we ever find a new one, I’ll make sure that you get it!”

“One magic sword! Is that too much to ask! I mean first you wouldn’t give me the Sword of Light and you were about to throw it in a river! And then there was that sword that Lina found for Luna, but did she ever give me anything? No! No one ever thinks of me when they find one so I’m left channeling my will through fishing poles! Fishing poles! And now you just happen to have another magical sword, and rather than giving it to me you give it to Zelgadis!? Why!?” Han demanded to know as several of the kids’ mouths dropped.

Gourry tugged at his collar again, “Well, he can’t channel his will through fishing poles, so he needed It more.”

Han reached into his pocket and grabbed a cigarette and a match. He was about to light his it when he caught site of his wife on the trail and sighed regretfully and put it back and settled for chewing it unlit. He folded his arms across his chest as he admitted. “That’s actually a good reason.”

Gourry relaxed a little as Han continued, “Except he could do it if he took the time to train himself. And now you’re just enabling him to continue to be mediocre!”

“I’m hungry!” Pippi announced, oblivious to the growing tension.

“It is dinner time, we’d better get in.” Gourry said as several of the kids commented about how hungry they were as they ran towards the manor.

“Okay, but we’re coming back out after dinner to put this through some more paces.” Ace told Zelgadis.

“Count me in, too.” Owen said as they walked with Zelgadis towards the building, leaving Gourry and Han alone on the field as Leia walked up.

Gourry ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. “Look, Zel was real shaken up after that attack. It took me ten minutes to know he was in a bad spot. You’ve been here all month, you had to have noticed something.”

“I’ll give you that.” Han said, though the resentment was still heavy in his voice.

“He still getting used to be human again and he lost some strengths and with Amelia being pregnant it’s just adding to his worries. It seemed like a fast way to help him feel more powerful again.”

Han chewed his cigarette, “I just go crazy at the thought of seeing another sword just out of reach.”

“What’s going on?” Leia asked as she reached them.

“Gourry gave Zel a magic sword and he didn’t give me anything.” Han said sulkily.

“You’re getting a new grandchild! Stop sulking. Besides, Zel’s been in a bad place and needed something to get out of that funk.” Leia said as she grabbed the cigarette out of his mouth and threw it on the ground, “And I’m not kissing you tonight if you reek of tobacco!”

“I never lit it once, Leia!” he shot back.

“He didn’t.” Gourry confirmed, hoping to win back some points.

She clicked her tongue as she said sharply, “That’s a poor example, letting the kids see you walk around with that nasty thing in your mouth.”

“Let’s just go on to supper already.” Han said in exasperation.

“Humph.” Leia said, but she walked towards the manor nonetheless.

They were silent for a moment, and then Gourry asked Han tepidly, “We’re good, right?”

“Fine,” Han said. “I’ll get over it. I’m serious about what you need to do if you do find another sword, though!”

“Right.” Gourry said nervously, “Let’s go eat.”

“And, when you have a chance I want to take you and Zel fishing.”

“Oh?” Gourry said.

“Well if you’re both going to be fathers, then I’ve got a lot of advice to give!” Han explained.

Sensing another opportunity to get points back, Gourry said, “That sounds like fun.”

“You’re especially going to need it. Raising a child who is more powerful than you is hard work.” Han said knowingly as they reached the manor. “Right now I’m hoping that little tyke will give you hell, though. One magic sword! Just one! Is that really too much to ask?”

The conversation stopped as they reached the dining room. Gourry was surprised to see that Jean-Luc was there, along with Lina, Zel, and Amelia. But he quickly figured out why as Lina said, “Your information on the current situation in the Elmekian Empire really helped us out, and you’re going to get some extra credit points.”

“Really?” he said.

“Yup.” Lina said, “I’m just need to know some more about your source.”

“My dad is from the Elmekian Empire.” He explained, “And my uncle is a court sorcerer. He uses he vision spell to talk to my dad. So I had Indy use it to talk to my folks and get information that way.”

“Your uncle doesn’t mind that we used it to undermine the emperor?” Lina asked.

Jean-Luc shrugged, “He wasn’t too fond of that emperor and wanted to see him taken down.”

“What does he think of Gregory?” Lina asked.

“Huh?”

“There’s been some changes since you last talked to him.” Lina explained, “I think I’m going to talk to the Eternal Queen. How would you feel about continuing to gather information on the current activities in the Elmekian court?”

“I can do that!” Jean-Luc said eagerly.

“Good. Keep me updated. I’m sure we can find a little something to compensate you with.” Lina said.

“Thank you, miss!” he said.

“Now get going.” Lina said playfully as she ruffled his hair.

Jean-Luc ran out of the room. As the door shut behind him, Han walked up to her, and once again his expression was thunderous. “Lina.” He said sternly. “I’m very mad and disappointed in you.”

Lina looked at him, confused. “Dad?”

“How could you forget?”

Lina’s brow furrowed. “Forget what?”

“All my life I’ve wanted a powerful sword! And here you had the Sword of Absorption since you got back and you never thought to give it to me!?” he yelled.

“Oh, I guess we did recover that, didn’t we?” Lina said in the cutesy manner that she did when she was trying to get out of trouble. Gourry folded his arms across his chest and wondered if he should step in. Han was so mad it looked like it would take a lot more than a cute act to get out of it.

“Lina!” he cried. “First you forget, and then your husband gives it to Zel! When am I going to get a magic sword?”

Lina laughed nervously as she clapped her hands together, “Well, you know, I’ll just have to add it to that long To Do list I have!”

“Lina!”

“Daddy!” she repeated as she let her eyes grow wide and tear filled as her voice went up an octave. “Daddy! I will find you a sword one day. And it will be better than all of the other swords I’ve found! You wouldn’t want the Sword of Absorption. It’s a good sword for someone with a background in magic like Zel, but for someone like you, well, I thought you deserved something that suited your talents better.”

Amazingly, Han started to melt. Gourry sighed incredulity as he shook his head. So that was why she developed the cute act. Lina grabbed Han’s hands as she pouted a little as her eyes shimmered, “Please just give me a bit more time. I want to make sure that I find the best that there is! You’re always telling me I have to be patient, and now I need you to be patient with me.”

“So you have been paying attention!” he said proudly.

“Of course.” She said with a giggle, “I always listen to my very wise daddy!”

“Well, as long as you find it soon.” He said as he wrapped her in a hug. 

“I will. Well, once I get this kid out.”

“No need to rush, sweetheart. This can wait. You need to rest and take care of my grandbaby now that I think of it.”

“If you say insist.” Lina said as she pulled away and rubbed her belly, “Speaking of, I’m craving ice cream really bad and Nellie is making some lame ass excuse about how we’re out. But I know I saw some in the ice box!”

“Of course sweetie. I’ll be right back.”

Lina smiled smugly as he left while Gourry shook his head incredulously. Someone she had gotten out of trouble and scored some ice cream in the process! “How did you do that?”

“Do what?” Lina asked as she took a seat.

“He’s always been a sucker for her big eye routine.” Leia said as she cut her meat. “It didn’t work with me. Or Luna. But Han was always a sucker for it.”

“I didn’t know you had it in you, Lina!” Amelia said, who had pushed her plate away distastefully. “Really, you have him wrapped around your finger.”

“Of course! Being cute is the most potent weapon younger daughters have!” Lina said, “Of course I know how to use it. It saved me from a lot of punishment growing up. If only it worked as well with Sis…”

“Well it won’t work on me.” Gourry said as he started loading his plate.

“Or me.” Zelgadis echoed as he looked at Amelia.

“Look what I found!” Han said as he walked in with a tub of ice cream. “Do you want chocolate or vanilla?”

* * *

It was nice to fall back into the school routine. And fortunately Lina had no glowing episodes while teaching her classes and she continued to feel well and was able to keep her pregnancy a secret. The following weekend Lina and Gourry went to brief the Eternal Queen on what had happened in the Elmekian Empire and to let her know about their upcoming arrival, even if they weren’t ready to make an official announcement. The Eternal Queen congratulated them and started talking about her plans to find them a nanny. But for Lina, such events were so far into the future it wasn’t worth thinking about.

“I don’t want to jinx it, but things seem quiet for once.” Gourry commented as they left.

“Then why did you say anything?” Lina asked in alarm, “Once you say stuff like that out loud you’re inviting trouble in!”

As if on cue, Luna walked up to them and proclaimed. “You’re babysitting for me tonight.”

“Well hello to you too!” Lina said.

“Since Mom and Dad moved to Maninstit, Harold and I haven’t had an evening to ourselves. And we’re dying to get away from the kids for a night.”

“Well whose fault is that?” Lina asked.

Luna reddened, “And you need to practice your parenting skills! My boys will break you in.”

“Parenting skills?” Guloisa asked as she walked by. “Does that mean…?”

“Nothing!” Lina screeched as she glared at Luna. “Sis is just getting ahead of herself.”

Guloisa looked at Gourry. “It wouldn’t be fair if Lina’s family knew of any impending arrivals and yours didn’t!”

“Nothing exciting is happening, Mom.” He said, “Hey, aren’t you going to be going back to the Elmekian Empire now that Gregory is Emperor?”

“I don’t know. I like it better here. There’s plenty of water for one thing.”

“We’ll pay your travel expenses!” Lina offered.

Guloisa remained unmoved, and the brief hope that she would return to the Elmekian Empire petered out. “And if there’s going to be a grandbaby then I would like to be here.”

_Oh no. Oh hell no!_ Lina thought to herself. “Grandbaby or no, you’re not allowed in Maninstit after what you pulled last time!”

“But it wouldn’t be fair if your parents got to see the baby and I didn’t!” Guloisa said.

“Well my parents didn’t try to kill us!” Lina shot back.

“How dare you!” Guloisa stammered.

Gourry put a hand on Lina’s arm as he sighed, “Come on. We’ve got to our nephews. Good evening.”

Gourry walked away with Lina and Luna as Lina sent her sister a thunderous look. “I told you I don’t want this getting out! And that’s a good example of why!”

“She was going to find out eventually.” Luna said. “But I guess it was too much to hope she would return to the Elmekian Empire.”

“Why would she?” Gourry asked. “It is nicer here. And it means Gregory has a spy well placed in your court.”

Luna exhaled, “It appears that I have some more damage control to do.”

Lina then turned and glared at her husband, “And you’d better watch your mouth before you even think about bragging about things getting too quiet again!”

He smiled nervously, “Right.”


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Telepathy is one of those things that appear in the novels but not the anime. During the plotline with Halciform (which is significantly different in the novels, and while there are scenes in the anime I really liked, there are also parts from the novels I wish had been adapted better), Halciform uses telepathy to talk to Lina. It establishes telepathy as a skill some people are born with and not something that can be learned.

For once, the Eternal Queen had come to visit and Lina’s manor hadn’t been destroyed. They sat in the upstairs parlor with Luna, Lina’s parents, Gourry, Zel and Amelia as they discussed the very sensitive issue of who should learn to use the Giga Slave. Lina read over the notes she had taken about her various students as she said, “Honor, Susan, Maeve, Danielle, Cuchulain, Jean-Luc, Marcus, Clark, and Bruce were the ones who were able to keep their rumor a secret. Of them, Honor, Susan, Maeve, Jean-Luc, Marcus and Clark likely have the magical skill and capacity to attempt to cast the Giga Slave. I’m thinking of having them in my most elite class. But I still worry.”

 

“Jean-Luc and Indy are pretty tight.” Zelgadis observed.

 

“But he still kept his rumor a secret from Indy.” Amelia pointed out.

 

“I don’t think Jean-Luc would jeopardize it, or at least I hope he wouldn’t. But it would certainly put him in an awkward position. It might make things awkward between them.” Gourry said.

 

“It will be good for him.” Han said, “There are going to be times on the battlefield when you have to choose between doing what is easy and standing up to your friends.”

 

“I can’t argue with that.” Lina said.

 

“It would be hard to break up such a duo.” Leia said.

 

“But if their friendship is strong enough then it will withstand such a challenge!” Amelia said.

 

“Right.” Lina said as she looked at the Eternal Queen, “I have a lot of confidence in these students. Still, given the nature of the spell, and with hindsight being perfect and all, if you are wanting me to scrape this idea I will follow your discretion.”

 

“We have to trust Ceiphied’s will.” The Eternal Queen said, and Lina raised her eyebrow while Luna looked respectfully solemn. “Most people aren’t going to be powerful enough to even attempt to try a Giga Slave. If someone is strong enough, then we have to trust that there is a reason that they are.”

 

Lina thought to Naga, who likely was strong enough to cast it, but never in a million years would Lina even dare teach it to her. But she didn’t dare voice such thoughts in the Eternal Queen’s presence. “Right.”

 

“I have every confidence that this is the right step, and that you have the right group.” The Eternal Queen said. “Sir Gourry, who have you picked for your group?”

 

“I’m liking Jackie, Gomez, Cuchulain, Owen, Ripley, Adam, Adora, Pippi, Honor and Danielle for my class.” Gourry said.

 

“That will be good.” Han agreed. “They’re the only ones who can keep up with you!”

 

“Huh?” Gourry said.

 

“You move so fast the less skilled kids can’t keep up!”

 

“What about you, Zel?” Lina asked as she took notes. “Considering you and Ace had that success with curing her friend I presume Ace will be in your group?”

 

“Yeah,” he said, “She’s all fired up about finding chimeras and curing them. I’ll also let Kara, Mara Jade, Maeve, Peter, Indy, Marcus, Jean-Luc Susan into my group. And…Nerys.”

 

“Nerys?” Lina said, surprised.

 

“She is really talented with Shamanist magic. Even if she does drive me insane.” He conceded.

 

“I’m going to have her in my group, too.” Leia said, and then she listed a few more students for her Black Magic group.

 

“How are you feeling, Princess?” Luna asked Amelia as she started fanning herself.

 

“I’m getting better. The lack of air circulation gets to me. In a few weeks I think I’ll be able to return to my duties, as well as take on a White Magic group.”

 

“We don’t want you to overdue it.”

 

“I already feel like such a third wheel!” Amelia moaned. “And so much that is exciting is happening!”

 

“Growing a baby is hard work and we don’t want you to overdue it.” The Eternal Queen said. Still, there is something we need to discuss.”

 

“Oh?” Lina asked nervously.

 

“Some rumors have started, some from the Elmekian Empire and others from Dils, that the mission of this school is to invade our neighboring kingdoms.”

 

Lina sighed, “Why does that not surprise me?”

 

“So in a few months we’re going to bring a delegation from several different kingdoms to show them what we’re doing and that there’s nothing to worry about.”

 

Lina exhaled, “Sounds like fun.”

 

“But why are people targeting our school?” Gourry asked.

 

“If we had to guess,” Luna explained, “We’ve got the Mazoku race scared. Till now things have always been at a stalemate. But now that we have the upper hand and are pressing forward they would see Maninstit as a risk. So they’re trying to turn the opinion of the other kingdoms against us.”

 

“I guess we’d better keep on our guard.” Gourry said as he looked at Lina.

 

“Perhaps that’s why I lately I always feel as though I’m being watched.” Lina said.

 

* * *

 

 Lina used the extra energy her unique pregnancy gave her by spending her nights working on projects she’d never thought she’d have time for, such as cataloging the library. She usually got into bed late and woke a scant few hours later, feeling rested and energetic. One morning she woke when she noticed Gourry unbuttoning the bottom of her pajama top to caress her stomach. She sighed a bit as he commented wondrously, “It’s starting to feel different.”

 

“Yeah, it is starting to get hard.” She agreed as she put her hand over his. Creating life had thus far been very different from everything else she had done. While destroying Mazoku required thought and concentration and a good deal of fear and pain, growing a baby had been an experience so effortless that it felt like cheating. She didn’t even have to chant a spell! Her body just knew what to do without her input.

 

“I think you’re starting to show a little.”

 

“I can’t! Amelia still isn’t showing!” Lina exclaimed.

 

“Well, she’s been throwing up so much she’s been losing weight. You’ve been eating so much that Nellie has figured it out.”

 

“What!?” Lina said as she sat up.

 

“Shh!” he said as he put a finger over her lips, “You’ll wake everyone up! Besides it’s not noticeable with your shirt buttoned.”

 

Lina relaxed a bit onto the pillows as he moved so his ear was at her stomach. “What are you doing?” she asked.

 

“Listening for the heart beat.” He explained.

 

She shook her head, “You don’t really expect to hear it, do you?”

 

“Shh! I’m going to try.”

 

She smiled at him as they laid there silently for a bit. Then she asked, “Any luck?”

 

“Well, either you’ve been seeing a goblin behind my back or your stomach makes really weird noises!”

 

“What did you say!?” she yelled as she sat up again, and he leaned forward to kiss her, and she felt her irritation melt away. “Hmm…How much time do we have?”

 

“Enough.” He said as he firmly put his hand on her stomach again.

 

“Oh! Don’t do that so hard!” she said as she jumped off the bed.

 

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asked, alarmed.

 

“No, you idiot!” she screeched as she ran to the bathroom. “I nearly wet the bed!”

* * *

 

As Lina and Gourry left for breakfast, they walked by the hallway where the postings for which kid got into which classes were listed on the blackboard. The kids were gathered round in a group as they looked for their names and muttered amongst themselves. Some exclaimed excitedly when they saw their placements. Others were in tears. And others, like Maeve, appeared very, very angry.

 

Forcefully she strode over to them and looked at Gourry, blue eyes flashing. “I want in your group.”

 

Gourry looked a bit taken aback as Indy came up to Lina and said, “What gives? Jean-Luc and I have been making the same grades! How does he get in your group and I don’t?”

 

“Because Jean-Luc can keep a secret.” Lina said as she folded her arms across her stomach while Gourry looked nervous. “You remember that yarn I spun about a contingent of goblins sacking and raiding an Elf Village? That you actually swallowed and spread as truth?”

 

Indy reddened as Lina nodded. “Go get your breakfast.”

 

Maeve looked at Gourry as Lina saw a few kids approach Zel and Amelia as they came down into the foyer. “What test did I fail, then? I want to do better.”

 

“There wasn’t a test really.” Gourry said as he scratched the back of his head, and Lina wanted to smack him and tell him to be firm. “Your talents just lie in other directions. And you are going to be busy you won’t have time to catch up. You got into all of the other groups.

 

“I need to be in all of them! I can do better!” Maeve insisted.

 

“Well, if you’re that passionate about it, then welcome aboard.” Gourry said, and Lina felt her hand bunch into a fist.

 

Maeve nodded, “Thank you. I’ll go down, get in some extra practice.”

 

“Don’t think about skipping breakfast.” Lina said, “You’re going to need the energy it provides.”

 

“I ate before I saw the postings.” Maeve said as she walked off.

 

Lina sighed as she shook her head, “Let’s get to the dining room before any more see us and you end up letting the whole school into your specialized group.”

 

“What would be so bad about that?” he asked.

 

“You can’t let them push you around!” Lina said as they got into the dining room. “They have to learn to live with disappointment.”

 

“They also have to learn how to argue a case.” He said.

 

“But she didn’t make a good argument!” Lina countered as she sat down. “You just didn’t want to hurt her feelings and get mad.”

 

“She was already mad.” Gourry said as he started loading his plate. “But it’s not like it’s creating more work for you. So why should you care?”

 

“Because I do!” Lina said exasperatedly as Zel and Amelia came in.

 

“And how is that a good argument?”

 

Lina turned red as she opened her mouth to yell, but before she could Zel said, “Wow, I didn’t realize how passionate they would get about this.”

 

“I know!” Gourry said, “I guess we’re lucky to have students who care so much.”

 

* * *

 

 

“If you are sitting here, it is for two reasons.” Lina said as she sat in a circle with Jean-Luc, Honor, Susan, Maeve, Marcus and Clark. Nimitz, the golden tabby Honor had found and had since been inseparable from, was curled on Honor’s lap. “The first is that your magic is powerful enough. And the second is that you can keep a secret.”

 

Lina allowed for a moment of silence as she looked at each of them to let her words sink in, “I’m going to teach you about a spell so dangerous that, if it were miscast, it will destroy the world. And I’m taking a big risk. For obvious reasons we don’t want the specifics of this spell traveling far and wide. At the same time, there may be times when you have to cast it.”

 

“But you’ve cast it?” Honor asked.

 

“I have.” Lina confirmed. “Four times. The first time I had just pieced together a spell from a manuscript I found in Dils. I had no idea how dangerous the spell was. To this day, nothing grows in the lake I cast it at. Gourry and I checked on our way back.”

 

Maeve put her hand over her mouth as Lina continued, “The second time was the first time I took down Shabranigdu. I still had no idea how dangerous the Giga Slave was. I probably still would have cast it. I was going up against Shabranigdu so I didn’t have a lot of options. It was shortly after that that I learned just how risky the spell was. I thought if I miscast it the biggest risk was that I would die. A friend told me that it could end up destroying everything.”

 

“What about the other two times?” Clark asked.

 

“Both happened when I was confronting Hellmaster Phibrizo.” Lina said quietly as, to her dismay, she started glowing.

 

“How are you doing that?” Jean-Luc asked.

 

Lina blushed and stammered. If that wasn’t awkward enough, Nimitz jumped off Honor’s lap and onto Lina’s and started kneading her lower belly as he purred loudly, “Um, well, the effects of casting it that time altered me and now I can’t talk about it without glowing. Hee hee.”

 

Everyone seemed satisfied with her answer, with the exception of Susan. Lina felt the hairs prick on her neck as the feeling arose that Susan could read her mind. Susan suddenly averted her eyes as a look of fear washed over her. Lina decided to talk to her later. “It won’t hurt me or anybody.” Lina continued, “There were some strange circumstances then. The original version of the Giga Slave that I had cast was a weak, incomplete version, but given my natural magic capacity it was the best I could do. Hellmaster Phibrizo wanted me to cast the full, complete version and for me to lose control of it and bring about the end of the world. So he arranged for me to find a way to amplify my magic and to learn the complete version. And then he sprang his trap.”

 

She was silent for a moment as she glowed while the kids looked at her expectantly. “None of this leaves this room.”

 

“Right, ma’am.” They said.

 

Lina nodded, “He kidnapped Gourry. Long story short, Hellmaster said he wanted me to cast the Giga Slave to try to destroy him so I could get Gourry back. He didn’t specify which version. So I cast the incomplete one first. With my magic amplified I knew I could control it. And I did. Unfortunately the bastard dodged it, and he decided to punish me by killing Gourry. So I cast the full one, like he wanted. What no one anticipated was that the Lord of Nightmares itself would be summoned. I was possessed by them. And it destroyed Hellmaster.”

 

The class was silent for a moment, and then Jean-Luc said tentatively, “With all respect, was casting such a dangerous spell to save one man’s life a good enough reason when the world could have been destroyed?”

 

“I wasn’t thinking about that at the time.” Lina snapped. “Just that I couldn’t do nothing when I had the power to try to stop him.”

 

“We must do what we can to save life where we can.” Marcus said. “Especially when it’s someone we love.”

 

“Romantic notions aside,” Susan said, “What would have stopped someone like Hellmaster from moving on to the next innocent human and killing them? Or taking whole towns hostage? Stopping him early was the best way to minimize casualties.”

 

“When people stand their ground, eventually the bully gets the message.” Jean-Luc said.

 

“But at what cost?” Marcus asked, “And how many have to die before he stands down?”

 

“Not when they have all the power.” Susan retorted. “They will break you, by whatever means necessary.”

 

“It’s not as though we can argue that her decision was bad.” Maeve said, “We survived and no lives were lost, aside from those of Mazoku.”

 

“It could have easily gone the other way, though.” Honor pointed out.

 

“It could have.” Lina agreed, eager to steer the topic away from her actions, “And that is something everyone in here needs to keep in mind. It’s easy to debate what you would have done when you’re not in the hot seat. It’s a lot harder when you’re in it. You lose perspective, your emotions take over, and you don’t have the luxury of thinking things through. You follow your gut and hope you did the right thing.  What I’m going to do now won’t fully simulate what it’s like, but I’m going to present each of you with a scenario, and you have three minutes to tell me what you would do.”

 

Lina indicated the hourglass by her seat. “Honor. Dark Star has invaded this dimension and is out of control, attacking towns and cities randomly. Nothing stops or slows him down, and he’s headed straight towards Zefiel City. Go.”

 

Lina turned the hourglass upside down as Honor took a deep breath.

* * *

 

“Susan, can I have a word?” Lina asked after she had dismissed the group. Susan’s eyes widened and her face paled, but she nodded.

 

“I’ll catch up.” She said to Marcus.

 

Lina waited until the door had closed behind Marcus as he left, and then she folded her arms across her now non-glowing stomach as she stared at Susan and thought, _You’re a telepath._

Susan’s eyes widened again, and then she looked down and nodded. _I promise I won’t tell anyone that you’re pregnant._

Lina exhaled and thought before she could think better of it, _Damn, I hate talking to telepaths! They hear everything I think but they get to decide what they do and don’t transmit. Oh, um, Susan, sorry you had to hear that!_

 

Susan shrugged and said magnanimously, _I get it._

 

Lina looked at her quizzically, _Why didn’t you say anything?_

Susan sat down and stared at the ground, _My family is from Dils. My mom was a sorceress who could use telepathy, and she taught me how to hide it from others. When the kingdom learned of her talents they wanted to recruit her to be a spy, but she didn’t want to leave my father, brother and me. When she wouldn’t work for them, they declared that she was a risk to the kingdom because she could gather and sell their secrets to our enemies. So they took her and performed a lobotomy. She was never the same after that. The lights were on but no one was home as they say. That’s why we fled Dils, before they found out about me._

Susan wiped at her eyes as Lina put a hand on her knee. _Damn, what do I say?_

_There’s not much to say, is there?_ Susan replied.

 

Lina blushed. _Look, you’re safe here. I won’t go telling your secret, but I don’t know of any other kingdoms that do this._

Susan frowned, _Give them time._

_You’re too young to be so pessimistic!_

Susan shrugged and Lina sighed. _With the foreign dignitaries coming to visit Maninstit it would be so helpful to have a telepath, but I don’t know how to ask given what happened at Dils. Oh, damn, I’m transmitting my thoughts._

 

 _It’s okay._ Susan thought, _I know what’s at stake. I’ll help. Besides, we’ve already been infiltrated._

 

Lina froze, _What do you mean?_

Susan took a deep breath and set her eyes forward, _From the astral plane. A presence that isn’t human watches us. I can’t read its mind, but whenever you’re in the room I can feel it._

Lina felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up as her thoughts raced, _And you’re only telling me this now!?_

_Don’t look behind you._ And Lina had to use all of her will power to prevent herself from doing so. _No, it’s not going to attack. It’s just watching. It’s suspicious._

_I’ve felt as though I’ve been watched for a while,_ Lina reflected as she did her best to keep from grinding her teeth and to appear as unshaken as possible. _My instincts are screaming its Xellos for some reason. Or perhaps it’s because he’s the Mazoku I’m most familiar with? Damn! I’ll kill him if I find that he watched me get undressed! Or worse, when I was having sex. DAMN! I’m transmitting my thoughts!_

Susan turned beat red, “I, um, think I should go.”

 

“No, um, wait here.” Lina said, still blushing furiously. But if someone was watching them, she needed to let the others know, and she would need Susan’s help. Telepathy was the only means she could be sure that their interloper wouldn’t figure out their conversation. Oh, whoever was watching was likely suspicious. But all they would have were suspicions. “I need you to talk to Gourry and the others.”

 

“Right, ma’am.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate having to do warnings like this, but I don't think my surviving grandmother is going to live for much longer. I'm lucky to have lived as long as I have and to have experienced no deaths until my mid-thirties, but life is quickly making up for it now. My mom's mom died this time last year, one of my grandpas in February, and an aunt died on New Year's Day. In addition, I have a massive case of caregiver fatigue between working in the helping professional and raising two kids who are both amazing and autistic, and suck up the formerly massive well of patience I used to have. Anyone who wants to tell me what is and is not necessary to write and cause drama can please take that somewhere else.
> 
> In better news, though I'm not sure how the former is going to affect this, but I am going to be leaving next weekend for a much needed vacation (see caregiver fatigue above). Usually I continue to write on my tablet, but my loving son spilled milk on the keyboard attachment so the tablet works, the keyboard doesn't, so I'm not going to get much in the way of writing or editing done. So if you contact me after Friday, I likely won't respond for awhile, because I'll be enjoying reading on the beach (or I hope my kids will let me read on the beach) and doing my best to not get sunburned. But hopefully it'll provide a lot of time to think and reflect on where I want to go with my writing and I'll come back refreshed and whatever the opposite of burnt out is.


	37. Chapter 37

“Try this vest.” Amelia suggested.

Lina took it and put it on over her tunic, and then smiled, “Wow. Yes, this hides it nicely.”

“I still don’t get why you’re hiding it.” Amelia, who wasn’t even trying to hide her bump, said. Already she was wearing the empire waisted gowns that Saillune royals did when expecting even though she didn’t need to.

Lina sat down as she conceded, “I guess the people we don’t want to know already know.”

She let the words hang ominously. Susan had telepathically communicated to the others about their spy and they were doing their best to prevent that spy from learning that they knew about him. Unfortunately, communicating through Susan was clunky and awkward. Even though it wasn’t constant, there were still times when Lina was sure she was being watched, so she did her best to avoid saying as much outloud. “I’d still like to keep it under wraps as long as possible. It just seems like tempting things.” Lina said.

“It’s unfortunate for you that you’re showing more than me.”

“Hey!” Lina yelled.

“Either that or my breasts being bigger make my bump look smaller.”

“Oh, you are asking for it!” Lina hissed, and then she wiped her forehead. “I could have sworn I opened that window!”

“You did.” Amelia said as she started fanning herself, “But it’s late spring, it’s hot, and we’re pregnant. Looks like your blessed pregnancy isn’t magically cooling you off!”

“You don’t have to rub it in!” Lina shot back.

“It’s easier to suffer when someone else is suffering with you.” Amelia said knowingly. “And I’ll take being hot over morning sickness any day. Worse comes to worse we can do an ice spell for our baths.”

“Layering up likely isn’t helping.” Lina added, but she kept the vest on. “Damn, and summer hasn’t even started! Oh, it’s going to be a long time till fall!”

“I never thought nine months was such a long time before.” Amelia said as she rubbed her belly, “Now it seems as though things are moving so slow.”

“With this delegation thing hanging over my head and me being so busy with the school things have been moving fast enough.” Lina commented, “I’ll be glad when this is done. I am not liking the diplomatic aspects of my new position.”

“You’re not wanting to retire already, are you?” Amelia asked.

“No, I like the other tasks I have. I guess there’s a duty with every job that sucks.”

“You’ll settle into the role of diplomat.” Amelia said.

“Says the person who was born to do this.”

“Even I had a lot of training. You’ll get used to it.” Amelia said confidently, “When are they coming again?”

Lina shrugged, “Some of them have arrived at the palace. Whenever the final one gets there then they’ll head over. The Eternal Queen thought it would be best if they didn’t announce their visit ahead of time so that the delegation can get a real feel for what our school is like.”

“That makes sense.” Amelia said, “Well, I guess we’d best go down for breakfast.”

“Right,” Lina said as she grabbed a hanky and wiped her forehead with it.

* * *

“Survival always needs to be your top priority.” Lina explained as her Battle Tactics course hit its stride. “You hear a lot of stupid sentiments, such as never back down and never retreat. People who follow those ideas end up dead. You aren’t always going to be at the top of your game, and getting a favorable playing field has to be part of your strategy.”

“But if you back away, then you have no honor.” Cuchulain said. “Honor comes from standing your ground.”

Lina wanted to smash his head into the desk. Being told how to fight by someone who had no experience in a real battle was aggravating. Nerys stepped in before she could, “Keep thinking that way, you’ll join my friends who were buried with honor. Really, that nobility stuff is what your enemies feed you to keep you down and fighting on their terms!”

Lina started fanning herself as she hoped that she didn’t look as though she was sweating as much as she felt she was as Kara said, “Your bitterness makes it impossible for you to move beyond your hurt. You have to learn to let go.”

“This is what keeps me alive!” Nerys shot back, “And I don’t care to be lectured by people who have no idea what they are doing and would lead us all to our demise in the name of some silly ideal.”

Lina was about to reign the discussion back when the door opened and Jeeves walked in, “The delegation is here, ma’am.”

Lina brought out her handkerchief again and wiped her face down, “Thanks. Show them in. And could you open the windows in the back? It’s about to get rather stuffy in here. On your feet, kiddos.”

The kids stood up as Aliciane walked in and stood by the door. An important looking man followed her as Lina stood to attention. “Welcome. Please find a seat in the back and feel free to observe.”

Lina managed to get the words out before her breath caught in her throat as she recognized Sylphiel. Sylphiel glanced at her as she smiled and then walked to the back of the room. Lina wondered how Sylphiel had managed to become part of the delegation and what she was doing in Zeferia when she recognized a second, and far less welcome person. Guloisa. Lina’s hands curled into fists as she wondered who the hell had let her come, but now was not the time to ream anyone. 

_I want to know everything that bitch is thinking!_ Lina projected to Susan, who did not reply.

The diplomats continued to file in, and then Gourry and the rest of her staff followed them. Finally Aliciane announced, “Announcing our illustrious sovereign, The Eternal Queen.”

The Eternal Queen entered, and Lina bowed respectfully. She stopped before Lina and asked, “Is everything well?”

“It is, your majesty.” Lina said. It was a lie. If Guloisa was in her home then things were definitely not well. But that would have to wait. The Eternal Queen clasped her shoulder, and then moved to sit down. Once she was seated Lina motioned for her students to sit, and then took a deep breath. “Welcome to the Luke and Milina’s School of Sorcery and Swordplay. I am Dame Lina Inverse, the headmistress, and this is our class on Battle Tactics.”

Lina had hoped that they would have arrived during a different class, but at least it was during class time and not lunch time. In the back, one of the delegates raised his hand, “Yes?” Lina asked.

“What sort of battle tactics?”

“Battle tactics that keep you alive while you’re facing a Mazoku.” Lina said, and she had a sneaking suspicion that he was from Dils.

“Given all of the rumors about how you plan to attack Kalmaat, it just seems awfully suspicious.”

“Mr. Gelo,” Sylphiel said politely but firmly, “Perhaps we should observe the class before we draw conclusions.”

“Of course.” Gelo said slyly, “You may proceed, Dame Inverse.”

Lina nodded, “The power differential between a Mazoku and a human is astronomical. And there are ways that it can be overcome. However if the cards aren’t in your favor, then you need to find the quickest, safest way to get out.”

Lina waited for Cuchulain or Kara to challenge her, but now that they had an audience it seemed as though both were quiet. Lina continued to lecture, and was stunned when, once again, Gelo raised his hand. “Excuse me. I can see you prepared this remarkable spectacle about fighting Mazoku, those monsters under the bed that you take so seriously.” He laughed, and looked around to see if others would join in. No one did, “But how can we be assured that this is a genuine class and not some play you put on to quiet our suspicions?”

Lina shook her head and opened the desk drawer and pulled out her lesson plans, “Well, if you’d like to go through these…”

“One moment.” Susan said as she jumped to her feet. A few people gasped, but Lina trusted that if Susan was speaking out, she had a good reason, “Ambassador Gelo, could you show us what is in the contents of your right vest pocket?”

Gelo reddened, “I am not on trial here young lady, and I will not be bossed around by some little girl!”

“But you are subject to my commands while you are in my kingdom.” The Eternal Queen said, “If Susan believes we should check your pocket, then I am interested in what we will find.”

“Just the documents that our spies stole from this school!” Gelo said as he pulled them from his vest, “Detailing your plans to attack Kalmaat!”

“So you weren’t planning to plant these forgeries in Dame Inverse’s book while you perused her lesson plans?” Susan asked critically.

“No. I was returning these documents that our spies stole from your school detailing your plans to attack the Duchy of Kalmaat to you.” He said indignantly. “I was going to drop the ball after lunch. This whole school is a farce! Are we really supposed to believe these stories about Mazoku and a mere human girl being able to defeat them…”

“Excuse me, Ambassador,” Sylphiel interrupted, “If I may. I was there when Dame Lina defeated Hellmaster Phibrizo. I can vouch for the stories being true and for the dangers that the Mazoku race pose to humanity.”

Ambassador Gelo sputtered, and then changed track, “And how did she defeat him?”

There was an awkward silence as Lina pleaded with her body to not start glowing. Then Ambassador Gelo continued, “By using a spell that could well have destroyed the whole world! A spell she was warned to never use!”

“Which is it, Ambassador Gelo, are we lying about the threat of Mazoku, or do you agree that they are a threat and take issue with our methods to destroy them?” Han asked as Lina felt the glow start. She hoped that everyone was too distracted to notice.

“The threat is greatly exaggerated, and you are using this as a smoke screen to plan an attack on Kalmaat! Just like your daughter set fire to Galia City and killed thousands.”

“Xellos set fire to Galia City, and he tricked me into thinking it was one of Gaav’s minions.” Lina corrected even as her head felt heavy as a few people started whispering. That she hadn’t realized she was being duped still rankled, and she wasn’t exactly wanting to rehash her actions here.

“Xellos, the Mazoku that you were in league with! Who is to say you aren’t still in league with him?”

“Are you seriously suggesting that the just and noble Kingdom of Saillune would ally themselves with a kingdom that is in league with Mazoku?” Amelia asked indignantly.

“Princess Amelia, considering your uncle hired a Mazoku for a royal sorcerer…”

Amelia reddened, “Dame Inverse slew Kanzeil, and my uncle only hired him at my cousin’s insistence. And my cousin made that pact so that he could steal the throne from my father! Neither my father, sister or I would ever make such a hideous bargain!”

“If I may,” Sylphiel interjected, “I was in Saillune and on the periphery of the incident. My Uncle told me much of what happened. Kanzeil was there to assassinate Prince Philionel, Saillune was hardly in league with him. And the entire time I have known Dame Inverse I have never seen her with Xellos.”

“Then I guess the Kingdom of Lyzeille is knee deep in this as well!” Gelo said.

One of the ambassadors that Lina was unfamiliar with said, “Lately where Zeferia goes, Saillune does as well. But Lyzeille is so far from here that relations between their kingdoms are barely existent. There would also be no benefit for Lyzeille to attack us. I’m having a hard time buying your version of events, Ambassador Gelo. Especially when troops have been observed building up on your side of our border, and not on the Zeferian or Saillune side.”

Lina exhaled in relief as the glow started to abate as a different ambassador said, “While two years ago I would have said these stories about Mazoku are preposterous, Ralteague was hit hard in the demon uprisings. It does seem as though they are a legitimate threat.”

“Which is why we formed this school.” The Eternal Queen said, “And it has been established by those outside of our kingdom that the menace that the Mazoku race pose to our society is genuine. Let me assure everyone here that we have no wish to expand Zeferia’s borders or to wage war with our neighbors. On the contrary, we see the need to join our forces to fight the Mazoku threat together. Waging war amongst ourselves just makes us easier targets for them. Which is why I invite each of you to send a representative to stay and observe how we run our school, like our neighbors in Saillune are, so that they can implement such schools in their own countries.”

Lina’s eyebrows about hit her hairline at the thought of hosting a bunch of strange diplomats indefinitely. Sylphiel, meanwhile, inclined her head, “The Prince of Lyzeille is very interested in starting such a program. I would like to observe, if I may.”

“As would I.” a few others said, and Lina felt herself groan at the thought of having a bunch of diplomats observe her at her work for who knows how long. 

“Unfortunately I have other matters to attend.” Guloisa said, “But I will allow my aide to stay.”

Lina wasn’t sure if she had dodged a spell or not, but for the moment she wasn’t going to complain. The sooner Guloisa left, the better.

“We are at the point where we break for the day.” Lina said as she wiped her face once again. The open windows helped, but only a little, “You are free to join us for dinner, which will be at seven. Until then you are free to talk to our students, and we will find rooms for those of you who want to stay and observe our school.”

“We can even do a workshop on the weekend on how to get schools started in your countries.” Leia suggested.

“Right.” Lina said, and she added it to her endless To Do list. But then, what else was she going to do with the extra time she had at night? “Class dismissed.”

Aliciane started ushering everyone into the downstairs parlor as Lina hung back to gather her stuff and collect her breath. As the people filed out, she sensed as Gourry came to stand beside her and wrap a protective arm around her and she looked up to see that she was alone in the room with him and Guloisa.

“Being the ambassador from the Elmekian Empire suits me.” She explained.

“Congrats.” Lina said dryly.

“I even have a nice home of my own now, so I won’t be staying here. Well, at least not until it’s time for the baby to arrive.”

Lina’s eyes narrowed, “Why would you care about Amelia’s baby?”

Guloisa chuckled and reached a hand out to grab Lina’s belly. Lina batted it away. “That wasn’t very nice.” Guloisa said as she reached her hand out again.

“Touch me and you’ll end up on the wrong side of a Dil Brand.” Lina snapped.

“I know what you’re cooking. And you’re mean for not letting me get to connect with my grandchild.”

“I never cared about being nice.” Lina spat.

“You will let me attend the birth.” Guloisa stated.

“No.” Gourry said firmly.

Guloisa raised her eyebrow, “Do you think you can keep me away?”

He looked at the ground, and for a moment Lina feared he was going to wimp out and leave the task of telling Guloisa off to her. Instead he looked back up and met Guloisa’s gaze and said quietly but firmly, “These games aren’t going to continue for another generation. I will do what I can to see make sure of that and to see that my child is not harmed by you. And yes, that means keeping you away from the beginning.”

Lina grabbed his hand. Finally, he was standing up to her! Guloisa, meanwhile, smiled, “Try and stop me.”

She walked out of the room, and Lina and Gourry looked at each other. “The Eternal Queen better have a damn good explanation for this.” Lina said as she reached out and wrapped him into a hug.

Gourry nodded as he returned her embrace and stroked her hair, his face a stony mask. After they took a moment to comfort each other he said, “We’d better join the others.”

* * *

Lina managed to catch a bit of Sylphiel’s conversation with Zel and Amelia as they walked into the downstairs parlor.

“Well look at you!” Sylphiel said to Amelia as she reached a hand out, “May I?”

“Sure!” Amelia said and Sylphiel gently touched her stomach.

Lina debated between joining their conversation or walking to The Eternal Queen. Lina wanted to check in with her to get her feel on how things were going. And while she was curious about how Sylphiel had managed to become an ambassador for Lyzeille, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk to Sylphiel or not. Given the feelings that Sylphiel had for Gourry, now that she was married to Gourry and pregnant with his child, it seemed as though the opportunities were ripe to hurt her. But before she could talk to either of them, one of the diplomats from the Coastal Alliance kingdoms blocked her path.

“That was a fascinating class, Dame Inverse.”

“Thank you.”

“We were wondering if you would like to come down to Triton to help us get our own school started.”

Lina relaxed a little. At least everyone in that room hadn’t figured her condition out! “Well, right now the timing is not good. Perhaps sometime next year I can see about making arrangements.”

“You don’t understand, Dame Inverse. You can be headmistress at our school. We’d double your salary, give you a bigger castle.”

“Huh?” Lina said, surprised. “No way!”

“Think about it.”

“Zeferia is my home.” Lina said. “I’m not leaving it no matter how much you give me!”

“Thank about it.” He said as he patted her on the shoulder before he walked off.

Lina shook her head and looked at Gourry, but before they could say anything the delegate from Ralteague walked up to them. “This is a lovely school, Dame Inverse.”

“Thank you.” Lina said.

“I am confused about this whole business with Xellos.” 

Lina gritted her teeth, and wondered if she should just give the group a presentation with her reasons and motives. “What do you want to know?”

He then proceeded to interrogate her about her reasons for allying herself with him, an interrogation that continued through dinner. Once it was over, Lina couldn’t read if he was satisfied with her responses or not. She did know that she was mentally exhausted and wanted only to escape to the sanctuary of her bedroom.

“You ready to go?” Gourry asked.

“Yes.” Lina said, and nearly groaned when she saw the Eternal Queen. Somehow she managed to suppress it.

“Well done, Lina. Overall I am satisfied with how things went.”

Lina slumped forward in relief a little. At least she wouldn’t be awake the whole night worrying about whether or not she was pleased, “Thank you, your majesty.”

“I’ll let you get some rest. Tomorrow morning we will talk.”

“Just one thing.” Lina said, “Why did you allow Guloisa to come back here?”

The Eternal Queen looked around to make sure she wasn’t being overhead, “Emperor Gregory appointed her as the ambassador from the Elmekian Empire. Protocol dictated that she come. And given that she now resides in the ambassador’s residence, the threat of her casting a binding spell to prevent herself from leaving here was small.”

There was a lot Lina wanted to say, but given that the Eternal Queen was her sovereign, she knew she was in no position to say it. Finally she shook her head and settled with, “I hoped that there would be a better explanation.”

“If I had a better explanation, then that would mean something rather bad is brewing.” The Eternal Queen pointed out. Lina had to bite back the fact that Guloisa still could have ordered a hit on Gourry for all they knew and that she wasn’t welcome in their home under any circumstances. But then, when your home was a gift from your sovereign, and your continued occupancy of it depended on keeping that sovereign happy, it wasn’t as if Lina actually had much control over who was and wasn’t allowed in her own home. Suddenly Lina wished she had opted for a simpler life and the freedom that would have come with it. The Eternal Queen grabbed and squeezed her hand, “I hope you have a pleasant evening.”


	38. Chapter 38

Even though she was mentally exhausted, Lina still found sleep elusive. After Gourry had drifted off she found herself grabbing a shawl and wrapping it around her nightdress. Given that there were so many ambassadors in the house she likely stood a good chance of running into someone when she went to the library so the task of hiding the bump got no rest.

 

She was glad that she managed to avoid anyone as she walked down the hallway, but once she got into the library her luck ran out. Still, if she’d had to run into someone then she could have done a lot worse than Sylphiel. Even if there was a high potential for some awkward conversations ahead.

 

“Dame Inverse.” Sylphiel said as she sat the book she was reading on the coffee table and stood up.

 

Lina waved at her dismissively, “Lina is fine. Come on, we fought side by side.”

 

“We did.” Sylphiel agreed as she sat down and Lina joined her. “I apologize for not congratulating you earlier on your nuptials.”

 

“We were both rather busy earlier.” Lina said awkwardly. Sylphiel seemed as formal and polite as ever and she couldn’t get a read on what she was feeling.

 

“I do want to offer my congratulations.” Sylphiel persisted.

 

“Thanks.” Lina said, eager to get away from the topic, “So how did you end up here?”

 

“Well, after we separated I met up with some other survivors of Sairaag. We wanted to rebuild our city, but needed some funds and support, so we went to the King to petition for help, and he directed us to his son. The Crowned Prince of Lyzeille was very interested in what he had heard about your school and wanted to establish a similar school in Lyzeille. He also had heard that I was acquainted with you, and he agreed to give us the funds if I came here on Lyzeille’s behalf to observe your method and establish a similar school in Sairaag.”

 

“Wow, that sounds pretty exciting. And considering the trouble Sairaag attracts it would be a good idea to have people trained in fighting powerful magical beings.”

 

If Sylphiel was excited, she hid it well. Evenly, she said, “It does seem like a wise idea, and something I can support. We can rebuild Sairaag and make It stronger than ever.”

 

“So are you still going to pursue the high priestess thing, or perhaps be headmistress of the school in Lyzeille?”

 

“It does seem as though I have a lot of options.” Sylphiel said as she finally broke a smile. That it was mirthless disturbed Lina, “As long as Sairaag is thriving again, I will be happy.”

 

“It’s good to have a big goal to shoot for.”

 

“I’ve never been afraid to aim high.” Sylphiel said as she ran a hand through her long, black hair. Then she quietly asked, “How far along are you?”

 

Lina blushed, and touched her stomach, “Do I show that much?”

 

“No. But when I was staying at Saillune I trained with a midwife. Ever since I’ve just known.”

 

“Thirteen weeks.” Lina said. “We’re not ready to make any big announcements yet by the way.”

 

“I understand.” Sylphiel said. “I must say I’m surprised. I didn’t think someone like you would want a baby.”

 

Lina raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

“I mean no offense. It’s just that you are such an adventuress.”

 

Lina decided to take her at her word, “I guess I don’t see how this would keep me tied at home. Even when I was young my parents would take me places around Zeferia.”

 

Sylphiel smiled, “I guess that does make sense then. So many women trade their power to marry into wealth. You managed to secure both.”

 

“Where did that come from?” Lina sputtered.

 

Sylphiel looked at her sweetly, and Lina wasn’t sure if she had just been insulted or not. “Good night, Lina.”

 

Lina sighed in relief as she walked out, as she reminded herself once again to always watch out for the quiet ones.

* * *

 

Lina put her hand on her back to ease the dull ache as she did her best to get herself pumped for the day ahead with a flock of diplomats trailing her every move. At least according to the itinerary left at her door that morning they would be having breakfast with the Eternal Queen and the Maninstit staff while everyone else dined elsewhere. And then she’d get a break when they observed Gourry’s class.

 

The cramp finally subsided, and she grabbed her shirt and put it on, and tried not to focus on how unsettled she felt. Something didn’t feel right. Naturally, with Guloisa being in their house, it wasn’t too surprising because things were far from right. Lina decided that she’d rather whatever was going to happen strike soon so she could get it behind her as soon as possible.

 

“Hey,” Gourry said as he came in from the bathroom and grabbed her and leaned down to give her a peck on the lips.

 

She smiled a little and he looked at her. “Everything okay?”

 

“Just feeling a bit off today.” She said. “Your super senses aren’t alert, are they?”

 

He shrugged, “No.”

 

“I guess it’s hosting so many people in our home, then.” Lina said. “Especially Gelo and your mom.”

 

“If it helps I’ll be sure to keep an eye out.”

 

“We’ll need it.” Lina said as she grabbed her brush and started combing out her hair. “You got a big lesson planned for today?”

 

“The usual.” He said as he considered whether to wear the pale blue shirt or the paler blue shirt.

 

“Listen, I need you to talk to these kids about when to retreat and how there’s nothing shameful in doing so.”

 

“Sure,” he said, “But didn’t you do that yesterday?”

 

“Half took the message to heart. The others droned on about honor and nobility or whatever. Much as I hate to admit it, I think if they heard it from a big, strong man who oozes nobility they’d be more receptive.”

 

He pulled his shirt over his head and gathered his hair to pull it up from behind his shirt. “I think they need more than a talk.”

 

“You’re not suggesting we let them find out on the battlefield!” Lina exclaimed.

 

“Hear me out. Look, they’re used to being the best at everything they do, so facing down someone who has much more power than them like a Mazoku is not something that they can really understand. Some of them have been challenged since coming here and were a bit humbled, others haven’t. So perhaps we should start doing games. Something like Capture the Flag? Sometimes they’ll win, but they can also learn that sometimes you can play a good, honorable game and still lose. And perhaps we can rig things so that sometimes the teams are evenly matched and other times they aren’t so they understand what it’s like to face someone vastly more powerful then them.”

 

Lina handed him the brush, “Well look at you coming up with a good idea.”

 

He grinned wickedly, “Must be you rubbing off on me.”

 

“Oh, you are asking for it, mister!” she said as she reached up on her toes and kissed him. She relaxed as she wrapped her arms around his waist and said, “You leave me no choice, you know. You are now tasked with organizing a series of Capture the Flag games.”

 

He sighed, “Gee, I come up with a good idea and you reward me with more work! You are mean.”

 

“Hold it, or you might find yourself on guard duty with the kids!”

 

“But then you’d have to sleep alone.” He pointed out.

 

“Well it looks like you did grow a brain!” Lina exclaimed as he gently squeezed her as they laughed a bit. “Come on, I’m getting hungry.”

 

He smiled as he reached down to caress her stomach, “Well we don’t want to starve Dimmy would we?”

 

“We’re not naming him ‘Dimmy.’” Lina said, her voice low as she moved towards the door.

 

“What’s wrong with ‘Dimmy?’” Gourry asked as Lina rubbed her back once more as it started to ache.

 

“Do I really even have to explain?” she replied as she resigned herself to face a day filled with diplomats with an aching back.

* * *

 

Zel and Amelia were the only ones who had beaten them to breakfast. They said their hellos as they sat down. “I know we’re supposed to wait for the Eternal Queen, but would it really be so bad if there was an exception for the pregnant ladies?” Lina grumbled as she stared at the pastries.

 

“Manners, Lina.” Amelia said sternly, “You won’t starve.”

 

“Gourry, pull that chair over here, will ya?” she asked as she spied a tempting looking scone.

 

He brought it over and she put her feet up, and she sighed. “I didn’t think that the back aches would start this early.”

 

“I’m doing fine there.” Amelia said, “It’s still strange how our symptoms are so different!”

 

The cramped abated, but Lina kept her feet up and hoped it would prevent it from coming back, “Well, maybe you’re having a girl and I’m having a boy, or vice versa. Or something like that.”

 

“Oh, I’m having a girl.” Amelia said confidently.

 

Lina perked, “You can tell for sure?”

 

“I listen to my gut!” Amelia explained as Han and Leia walked in. “And my gut says girl!”

 

“She’s already got a name picked out and everything.” Zelgadis said, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. “I keep telling her we need to find a name just in case it’s a boy.”

 

“Not that we have to worry about it, but it’s a simple fix.” Amelia said.

 

“So what are you naming her?” Leia asked as she sat down.

 

“Justina.” Amelia explained.

 

“So if it’s a boy we’re going with Justin?” Zelgadis asked.

 

Amelia smiled, “See? Simple fix!”

 

“You okay with those names?” Han asked.

 

Zelgadis shrugged, “We agreed she could name this one if I get to name the second one.”

 

“Wow, you’re really planning ahead!” Lina said with a low whistle. “What are you going to name the second one?”

 

“Well, let’s welcome the first one first.”

 

“You sure are taking a gamble.” Leia said to Amelia. “He could have something very horrible in mind. I’d never trust Han to name our children.”

 

“Justice will prevail.” Amelia said. “So what are you naming yours?”

 

“It’s a bit early…” Lina started to say as Gourry loudly and proudly proclaimed, “Dimmy!”

 

Lina turned to him and screamed, “WE ARE NOT!”

 

“You should get so upset, Lina, it’s not good for Little Dimmy.” Zelgadis joined in.

 

“Oh, no, not you, too!” Lina said.

 

“Good morning.” The Eternal Queen said as she came in, Aliciane at her side.

 

Everyone rushed to their feet and waited until the queen was seated before sitting down. Lina waited eagerly for the queen to start loading her plate as she hoped that she wouldn’t steal the plump looking cream scone she had been eyeing. Fortunately the Eternal Queen reached for some fresh fruit. The moment the fruit touched the queen’s plate, Lina grabbed the scone before anyone else could and put it on her plate, where it would be safe from everyone. Except Gourry.

 

“Steal my food and you’ll be sleeping in your own room.” She muttered as she continued to pile food on it.

 

“I’m dumb, but I’m not dumb enough to steal a pregnant ladies’ food!” he said. “Though that scone looks good.”

 

“Don’t even think about it.”

 

Once everyone had loaded their plates the Eternal Queen announced, “Thus far this has been a success. The other kingdoms aren’t buying the story spun by the Kingdom of Dils, and are even seeing the utility of forming such schools in their own kingdoms. I am pleased.”

 

 _I’m not_ , Lina thought a bit resentfully as her back started to hurt again. As she shifted her weight to try to get comfortable she reflected that at least she hadn’t angered her sovereign by messing things up. Even with the constraints on her life, having to host unwanted guests was better than being poor and destitute.

 

“If I may, what has been going on with the Elmekian Empire?” Gourry asked.

 

“Things have been in flux.” The Eternal Queen explained, “With such a drastic change in power, a lot of different factions are vying for Gregory’s favor. The dust hasn’t settled there, however, so it means that for the moment that they are too busy consolidating power to be much of a threat. Of course, as we saw in Dils, this also makes them the perfect target for the Mazoku to infiltrate.”

 

“Have they?” Zelgadis asked.

 

“We don’t know either way.” The Eternal Queen explained.

 

“Guloisa was making some noise about being there when the baby is born.” Lina said. “I don’t know how she even figured out that I’m pregnant! But if the Elmekian Empire is in league with the Mazoku….”

 

The Eternal Queen looked at her curiously as, to Lina’s relief, her back stopped hurting. “How would that explain how Guloisa got her information?”

 

Everyone shifted nervously. They had not been able to relay the information about their spy to the Eternal Queen yet. And sending for Susan would just make things suspicious. Lina tried to see if she could sense if the other presence was there, but as it was she was so overwhelmed with hosting that her nerves were shot. She just couldn’t be sure. Lina exhaled and thought through her words with more care than she usually did.  “I mean no disrespect, but understand that for the safety of our kingdom, I can’t reveal that right now. When it is safe, I will.”

 

The Eternal Queen’s clear grey eyes widened in surprise as Amelia quickly rushed in, “I second that.”

 

The Eternal Queen looked at them both, and Lina did her best to remain calm as she evenly met her gaze. Finally she said, “I will trust your discretion then.”

 

And Lina didn’t have to be told that the addendum “and there’d better be a good reason,” hung in the air.

 

“Getting back to Guloisa, though, she was threatening to be there at the birth. It goes without saying that I don’t want her anyway near me then!” Lina explained.

 

“While I understand why you wouldn’t want her there,” Zelgadis said, “It’s not too unusual for a woman to want to be there when her grandchild is born.”

 

“It sounded like a threat.” Lina snapped.

 

“Well, you are inclined to think the worse of her.” Leia pointed out.

 

“Right, Mom. Are you wanting to deal with her while I get this kid out?”

 

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Leia said soothingly, “I just wouldn’t so worried that there is some nefarious reason that she wants to be there.”

 

“I guess,” Lina said as she grabbed her hair and pulled it off her neck. While she usually liked the blanket feel of having it surround her, given that it was still early in the morning and her neck was already a sweaty, sticky mess, she wondered if she should cut it. And then she quickly backed away from the idea. If she could live with the backaches, she could live with the heat.

 

They continued to talk about the other ambassadors as they finished breakfast. As Gourry and Han stood up to get ready to go to the field Lina asked, “When you see Susan, could you tell her I’d like a word. Now, not after class.”

 

“Why?” he asked.

 

“Well, as she is from Dils, she might have some insight into the going ons.” Lina said. “I think it would be helpful if she talked to the Eternal Queen about them.”

 

“Sure.” He nodded as if he understood. He then reached down to kiss her, “See you after classes.”

 

As Lina’s back started aching again she wondered just how long they would be able to keep Susan’s telepathy a secret. Surely whoever was observing them was suspicious by now about why they would bring her into rooms with them just to stare at her in apparent silence for long periods of time. And a smart spy likely would have put the pieces together. But Lina didn’t know any better way. “Right.”

 


	39. Chapter 39

That Greater Beast Zelas Metallium was in a foul mood was not unusual or surprising. Usually Xellos let it wash off his back, but it was harder today. Today one of the underlings that she was mad at was him! And it was not a position that Xellos was used to being in. Thankfully, she was even more mad at Stover, and as she paced before him in her more intimidating armored wolf with wings astral form, she did little to conceal her displeasure.

 

“Just how did Guloisa Gabriev find out about Lina Inverse’s pregnancy?” Greater Beast demanded to know.

 

“I had to tell them to get in with them!” Stover said meekly.

 

Greater Beast growled, and Stover deepened his bow, “You don’t understand what it’s like to work with those humans! I needed something big to tell them for them to even give me the time of day! And you never specified that it was a secret…”

 

Greater Beast leapt forward in smooth motion and knocked him backward and growled even more loudly in his face. “Unless I give you specific orders to release information then you are to treat it as confidential!”

 

“Yes, my Lord Greater Beast!” Stover said, “How can I make this right?”

 

 _And now the spotlight returns to me,_ Xellos thought in resignation as Zelas backed off, “I’ll deal with you later. Away for now, I need to talk to my priest.”

 

Stover teleported quickly, and Greater Beast sat on her haunches and fixed Xellos with a piercing stare. “Is there any way we can use this to our advantage?”

 

Xellos shook his head as he reluctantly admitted, “Unfortunately, relations between the Gabrievs and the Inverses are rather sour. I do not believe that there is a remote chance that Lina Inverse would allow Guloisa Gabriev to attend her birth. Lina Inverse is already suspicious that Guloisa Gabriev may want to kidnap her child.”

 

“Which will make them more alert and guarded at that time, which makes our job harder!” Zelas said. “Further, your plan to turn the other kingdoms against Zeferia have also been foiled. The Eternal Queen has been making swift progress with not only getting the other kingdoms to see us as a threat, but to start their own schools to defeat us. It has been a long time since our race has been so imperiled. And you, who have been so useful to me, who performed so admirably during the Kouma War, to fail like this when I need you so desperately. Well, let’s say that I hope I won’t have to consider putting you out to pasture.”

 

Xellos bristled, but said, “If that is what you think is for the best, my lord. If you would give me the benefit of time, undeserving though I may be, I feel I can turn this around.”

 

“Oh, is this one of those situations where your grand scheme needs the element of time to be seen?”

 

“No, but hear me out.” Xellos said as he tried to keep his own frustration over his newfound incompetence under control. “Manipulating one human is easy. I was mistaken in believing that manipulating a mass number of them would be just as easy, and I fear that I have gone about this the wrong way.”

 

“Explain yourself.”

 

“So much of my plan has been focused on convincing the other kingdoms that Zeferia means to cause them harm. But the Eternal Queen has been reigning for as long as anyone living has been born and has a reputation for staying within her borders and seeking peace. The groundwork was simply not there, and the Eternal Queen was too smart to give us an ounce of ammunition to build it. Gourry Gabriev, on the other hand, is known for being estranged from his family. And while he is seen as an innocent party, if people could be led to believe that he is just as capable of their bloodlust if his family was threatened, we could kill two birds with one stone, and use this to drive a wedge between the kingdom that protects him, Zeferia, and the remaining powers.”

 

Greater Beast examined her paw as she thought it over, “Are you planning a bloodbath, Xellos?”

 

He grinned. Greater Beast smiled, “Get busy. And do inform Lord Dynast Grausherra. He needs the misery a good bloodbath brings to humans to feed off of so he can heal faster.”

 

“As you wish, my lord.”

* * *

Lina wondered when Susan would lose the look of a frightened kid about to be dressed down whenever she was summoned, and then she kicked herself as she remembered Susan could read her mind. As usual, Susan gave no indication that she had heard any unkind thoughts towards her as she said, “You wanted to see me.”

 

“Come in.” Lina said, “The Eternal Queen wants to talk about what you know about the situation in Dils.”

 

Susan sat down and exhaled as she said, “The spy isn’t here right now, if you want to speak openly.”  


Lina breathed a sigh of relief. If the person watching them was gone then that would make things a lot easier. “Looks like he finally got bored.”

 

“Spy?” The Eternal Queen asked, and Lina launched into an explanation. Once she had finished the queen concluded, “So if the Mazoku are spying on you, and if they relayed that information to Baroness Guloisa, then it would explain how she knew about your pregnancy.”

 

“Right.” Lina said. “Susan, do you have any insight to share here?”

 

“I’m sorry.” Susan said as she shook her head, “When there are so many people in the room it gets a little loud. I could only really focus on whoever is front and center.”

 

Lina closed her eyes as her back started aching again, worse than it had been! “If they know about the special nature of this pregnancy and the child, well, given what Gourry has explained to me about his family…”

 

“Suddenly your concerns about having Baroness Guloisa attend the birth seem very real.” Amelia said, “She could easily slip away with him in the chaos, especially if anything happened to you.”

 

 _And I could easily see her using that opportunity to make it look like an accident._ Lina thought to herself.

 

“That’s something we’re going to have to plan for, then.” Lina said as she put a hand around her belly possessively as the pain abated. “What could you gather from Dils?”

 

“They’re set on war.” Susan said. “And willing to stir up whatever trouble they can to cause it. There’s not a route to peace with them, it’s only a matter of ensuring that they make as few allies as possible.”

 

“Well, that much was apparent.” Lina said. “Perhaps if we called each of the ambassadors in one by one and let you scan them. Hey, what was the read you got on the rest of the group? Are they buying the swill that Dils is selling?”

 

“The general vibe is that if it hadn’t been for the demon uprisings last year then they would be more likely to believe it. But Dils has never provided a satisfactory explanation for them, and yours makes too much sense. So they’re willing to take a risk with you, and the Queen’s decision to teach them how to open their own schools was also important in convincing them of our intentions. Further, there are strange stories coming from Dils about citizens going missing and people fleeing with horror stories about various atrocities. They aren’t highly regarded right now.”

 

The hair on Lina’s neck prickled as Susan’s voice suddenly rang in her mind, _He’s back._

 

Lina and the Eternal Queen exchanged a glance. “Thank you, Susan. You may return to class.”

 

Once Susan left, Lina shifted and stood up. Now that the spy was back, there simply wasn’t a lot of use continuing a conversation. It would be easier if she drew the spy away so the Eternal Queen and Amelia could converse privately, “If it is alright, I’d like to take a walk before lunch.”

 

“Oh course.” The Eternal Queen said, “I’ve taken quite enough of your time. Enjoy your walk.”

* * *

Lina had hoped that the walk would help with the backache, but it continued to get worse. She endured it stoically through lunch, and if anyone noticed that she was unusually quiet, no one said anything. While she really wanted to cancel her next class so she could lie down and try applying some heat to her back, with all of the ambassadors there she simply couldn’t. She needed to represent the school, and if word got round that she was canceling class for a mere backache it would cast doubt on whether or not she had slain Shabranigdu and all of the other stuff she had done! She would just have to grin and bear it for another hour.

 

She walked into the classroom and noted that everyone was there except for Ambassador Gelo. And there was no way she was going to hold up class for him! With one hand she grabbed some chalk as she turned to face the board, and she quickly  put the other hand on her lower back as it spasmed once again, and she was soon grateful that she was facing away from the class as the pain suddenly radiated from her back to her stomach and it was all she could do to keep from crying out.

 

She squeezed her eyes shut as her right hand remained suspended in air as she took a moment to collect herself as she wondered what was happening to her. She did her best to shake it off as she wrote, “Dragon Slave” on the board.

 

As the cramp subsided she turned to face the class and noted that some of the kids were whispering among themselves. Had they noticed that she wasn’t well? Instead she asked, “What do you know about this spell?”

 

The class stared back at her, finally silent, and it was all Lina could do to keep from rolling her eyes in exasperation. “Look, I don’t care if we have an audience! You’d better start participating!”

 

“It’s the strongest spell in Black Magic.” Jean-Luc said as he raised his hand.

 

“Right.”

 

“It draws power from the Dark Lord of all Dark Lords.” Clark added, “Shabranigdu.”

 

“Good.” Lina said as she continued to let them supply bits of information for a few minutes before segueing into her next bit, “What sort of damage does it cause?”

 

“It can level a town.” Pippi said.

 

“Excuse me,” Guloisa said, and Lina found herself biting her tongue, “Is this really an appropriate spell to teach to children?”

 

“We can debate my methods after class!” Lina snapped, “As you are an observer and not a student, then your choices are observe quietly or leave.”

 

Guloisa glared at her, put didn’t say another word. Lina turned her attention back to her class, “What else can you tell me about the Dragon Slave?”

 

“It was discovered by Lei Magnus.” Danielle piped in.

 

“Good. Now earn that star and tell the class who Lei Magnus was.”

 

Even though Lina had put her on the spot, Danielle was able to concisely give a brief history of the most influential sorcerer of all time. “Thank you,” Lina said when she was done, “What else do we know about this spell?”

 

“It can kill some low level Mazoku, right?” Peter asked.

 

“Right, but given the potential for damage, you’d better be in a place where no one will get hurt.” Lina said as she felt her back start to ache again. She did her best to brace herself and hoped that the strain didn’t show in her voice. Still, she felt herself bend forward a bit as the force of it hit her as she asked, “How far away from the nearest town do you need to be to cast this spell safely?”

 

“Dame Inverse.” Sylphiel said as she stood up, just as Zelgadis walked into the room.

 

“Lina, might I borrow Honor?”

 

Lina tried to get a breath in, but it was hard when it felt as though someone was driving a knife into her spine, causing the pain to radiate from her back to her stomach and legs. She did manage to ask, “Why?”

 

“Nimitz has Ambassador Gelo trapped in Ambassador Arkowitz’s room and won’t let him out.” Zelgadis somehow managed to say in his deadpan manner. If Lina hadn’t been in so much pain she would have laughed at the idea of the golden housecat cornering the much larger ambassador.

 

“What?” Ambassador Arkowitz yelled as he looked up while Honor’s face paled.

 

“Everyone else stay here.” Lina instructed as the pain finally released its grip on her. While she should have stayed with the class and let her capable staff handle this, she also couldn’t resist seeing Ambassador Gelo cowed by a mere tomcat, “Honor, Ambassador Arkowitz, with me. Everyone else, if you haven’t already, read pages 321-390. Or get started on the papers I assigned last week!”

 

Lina was a bit surprised when Sylphiel got up to join them, but didn’t feel like arguing as they made with haste towards the stairs. Thankfully, Guloisa stayed put. “Dame Inverse, I apologize for the poor timing, but we need to get you to your room.”

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Lina asked irritably as they got to the stairs and noted that she could hear the sounds as hissing as well as raised voices. “Can’t you see we have a situation?”

 

“I’m fine. It’s you I’m worried about.” Sylphiel said as she gently grabbed her arm. “Dame…Lina, how far apart have they been?”

 

“How far apart has what been?” Lina asked, alarmed as something shifted within their relationship. And while there was none of the unacknowledged rivalry, Lina did not like the change.

 

“The cramps.”

 

Lina felt something clutch at her heart as she stopped walking and let the others get ahead of them. “It’s just been a bit of a backache. I mean, pregnant women get backaches, what’s the big deal?”

 

“Has it been growing in intensity?” Sylphiel asked, and irritably Lina wondered why Sylphiel was talking to her as though she was her midwife.

 

“Well, yeah. And it’s starting to wrap around to my stomach if you must know.”

 

Sylphiel gently moved her towards the stairs, “Please, I need to examine you.”

 

“What?” Lina asked, alarmed, and suddenly feeling very ignorant, “Why?”

 

“What you’re describing are contractions.”

 

“But…this can’t be what contractions feel like!” Lina protested.

 

“Is this your first pregnancy?” Sylphiel asked. Even though it was a question, Lina was fairly sure that Sylphiel damn well knew the answer.

 

“Well…yeah.”

 

“Then how would you know?” When Lina didn’t answer as they reached the top of the stairs Sylphiel continued, “Even then when contractions build from the back they feel different from those that build from the front. Even mothers who have already had children can be caught off guard by it.”

 

Lina clutched at her stomach. There had to be a mistake! “But it’s too soon!”

 

“I know. Your waters haven’t broken?”

 

“No,” Lina said.

 

“Good, there’s still time. I’m going to examine you and see if there’s a heartbeat, and if there is we can save your pregnancy. You’ll be off your feet for a few days, but that’s it.” Sylphiel said calmly as she opened the door to her room, which Alona was still cleaning. “Good afternoon. If you could please send for Dame Inverse’s mother and Princess Amelia, I would greatly appreciate it.”

 

“And my husband.” Lina added.

 

“Is everything alright?” Alona asked as Lina grabbed the doorframe as her back started to hurt again. Only while before she had felt annoyance, now she was terrified knowing that each pain was bringing her closer to losing her baby.

 

Sylphiel put a hand on her shoulder, “That is all for now. Thank you for your work.” Alona finally left, and Sylphiel wrapped an arm around her shoulder, “Thank goodness the bed was made. Come on.”

 

And that was when it sank in that she was now Sylphiel’s patient. Last night she had been Sylphiel’s rival, the winner in a competition she’d never consciously acknowledged they were in. Now she was her patient. And even through her fear, she marveled at this strange twist that life had thrown at them.

* * *

Gourry had been talking to Zelgadis when he heard the commotion, and they wasted little time in joining his in-laws and Amelia outside of the hallway where the guests were housed in. Zelgadis took a mere moment to watch the scene before he smiled, shook his head, and left to fetch Honor while Gourry stood beside his in-laws as he watched as Nimitz paced the entrance to Ambassador Arkowitz’s room as Ambassador Gelo stood inside, looking livid at being cornered by a mere tomcat. Yet every time he tried to leave, Nimitz’s back would arch and he would hiss and spit and rear to attack. A few specks of blood actually lined the ambassador’s face from what looked to be an ill-fated charge, and Gourry had wished he’d been there to see it.  

 

“You!” Gelo said as he pointed at Gourry, “You supposedly have defeated Mazoku! And now you stand there and do nothing to stop this animal?”

 

“Well, I like this cat a lot more than the Mazoku I’ve met.” Gourry said, “So I don’t want to hurt him. Besides, I’ve never seen Nimitz do this before, so I’m guessing he has a good reason to do it now.”

 

“Nimitz!” Honor scolded as she came down the hallway, followed by Zelgadis, “What’s gotten into you?”

 

“We’re wondering what Ambassador Gelo was doing here in the first place!” Amelia said mightily.

 

“That cat backed me in here!” Gelo maintained indignantly as Nimitz jumped on Honor and perched himself proudly on her shoulder.

 

“Considering you have already tried to plant false evidence on us, we are highly suspicious.” The Eternal Queen said.

 

“As am I.” Arkowitz said as he burst into his room and started tearing through it for anything out of the ordinary. Nimitz jumped off Honor’s shoulder and walked over to the desk and jumped on it and circled around a box that was on it. But before he could open it, Alona came up to them.

 

“Mrs. Inverse?” Alona asked, “Princess Amelia? Sir Gourry?”

 

“Can this wait?” Amelia asked as the other debated whether or not to open the box then and there or to wait for it to be checked for explosives.

 

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but it looked like an emergency.”

 

It was then that it dawned on Gourry that it was strange that Lina hadn’t come up with Zel and Honor. Somehow, he couldn’t see her resisting the urge to check out what was happening unless something else was going on. “What’s wrong?”

 

“I don’t know. Dame Lina was with one of the female ambassadors and she’s in her room. She requested you, and the ambassador requested Mrs. Inverse and Princess Amelia.”

 

“Lina and Sylphiel were right behind us.” Zelgadis said, “I know Sylphiel was talking to Lina about something but I wasn’t paying attention…”

 

Gourry didn’t wait for Zel to finish speaking. Leaving the Eternal Queen, Han and Zel to take care of things, he took off down the hallway as fast as he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don’t think a tomcat can corner someone in a room, I have some stories to tell you about a certain tuxedo cat I used to have who loved me but hated everyone else. And geez, ya’ll, why can’t I keep things happy forever? 


	41. Chapter 41

Lina stared at the ceiling as she focused on how awkward it was to get half naked around a former rival and let her examine her. Given that if she didn’t focus on the awkwardness then the reality that she could lose her baby came crashing into focus, the awkwardness was decidedly preferable to think about. “Four centimeters.” Sylphiel announced. “You are in labor.”

 

“But you said you could stop it!” Lina said.

 

Sylphiel nodded as she helped to pull the blankets up, “It looks like your waters are intact. That’s good. One minute and we’ll listen for a heartbeat.”

 

The door opened, and Gourry ran in, followed by Leia and Amelia, “What’s wrong?” he asked.

 

Lina bit her lip. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him. She listened as Sylphiel explained, “Lina has gone into labor.”

 

Gourry grabbed her hand as Leia gasped. Lina wondered if it was her hand that was shaking or Gourry’s as Sylphiel continued, “Obviously it is too soon for that to happen. I am going to listen for a heartbeat, and I think we have a good chance of hearing it. It will mean that your baby is alive and likely compatible with life. If we hear a heartbeat I believe I can easily stop this until your baby is big enough to come out.”

 

Sylphiel then looked at Amelia, “Princess Amelia, can you please go into my room and grab my bag?”

 

“Right.” Amelia said as she raced out.

 

Sylphiel put her hand along Lina’s stomach for a bit, and gradually she broke into a smile, “That was a kick.”

 

“I didn’t feel anything.” Lina said.

 

“Trained hands.” Sylphiel explained, and then she cupped those hands and chanted a spell, and the room was filled with the sound of a rapid heartbeat. Sylphiel smiled in relief. “The heart is beating. That means he’s alive.”

 

Gourry squeezed her hand, and Lina felt herself blinking fast. Hearing the heartbeat should have been wondrous, but she couldn’t keep the fears back. What if she’d waited too long to get help and it would be too late?

 

“What do we need to do?” Lina asked, resolving not to go down that path.

 

“First I need to give you a potion to stop the contractions. It will take a bit of time, but once they stop I will put you under a sleep spell and perform a simple procedure to close your womb. You won’t even notice anything different and after a few days of bedrest, you’ll be up and about and able to continue with your day to day activities. You will even be able to take down a Mazoku should the need arise.” Sylphiel explained, and Lina found herself laughing a bit, but it was short lived as the contraction built.

 

“What’s happening to her?” Gourry asked as Leia grabbed her other hand.

 

“It’s just a contraction.” She explained. “Nothing to do but wait for it to pass.”

 

Amelia came back in, and Sylphiel rummaged through her bag and started pulling out things she would need, “Princess Amelia, have you ever performed a cervical stitch?”

 

“No,” Amelia said, “But I know the theory behind it.”

 

“Good, I will need your assistance.” Sylphiel requested as got the ingredients she needed and started mixing them.

 

“Of course.” Amelia said as Sylphiel quickly made a potion.

 

“Drink this.” Sylphiel said as she gave a spoonful to Lina, “Unfortunately I will need to keep you fully awake and aware for now. I need to know if the contractions are getting further apart and when they stop.”

 

Lina swallowed it, “If it saves my baby I can tough it out.”

 

Sylphiel looked at Gourry and Leia, “You two support her for now. Princess Amelia and I will prepare the supplies and get washed up. Once we start the procedure I will have to ask you to leave the room, though, but stay close by. Waiting for the contractions to end is usually the longer bit.”

 

“We’ll just go to my room.” Gourry said, indicating the secret hallway that connected their rooms.

 

Lina, meanwhile, watched and thanked her lucky stars that Sylphiel hadn’t left her supplies at home or completely abandoned her practice as she tried not to focus on how terrible she felt for not realizing something was wrong earlier. Gourry, leaned down and gave her a hug. “It’s going to be okay, you know.” He said.

 

She nodded, and he gently tilted her face up to look at him. “I mean it, no matter what happens, it will be okay. We love each other enough that we will make it okay.”

 

She started to cry as she wrapped her arms around him to kiss him, “I love you.”

 

“I love you, and Dimmy.” He said as he caressed her belly

 

She laughed a little, marveling at how he could manage such a feat at a time like this, “Dimmy, where did you come up with that stupid name anyway?”

 

Before he could answer she moaned as the pain started to build again. “Is it getting better or worse?” Gourry asked desperately.

 

“How am I supposed to know that?!” Lina managed to snap as she leaned back against the pillows.

 

Sylphiel quietly cautioned, “It will take a few minutes to see results. I would be suggest not asking her if it’s getting better or not with each contraction. When she notices a change she’ll tell us.”

 

“Right.” Gourry said as he squeezed her hand in apology as they settled in to see which way their luck would go.

* * *

 

For the first time ever, their school felt understaffed. Zelgadis rushed to the classroom to resume Lina’s class for her, even though there was only about fifteen minutes left, and even though he definitely would not be talking about Black Magic. Still, word of what happened with Ambassador Gelo needed to be spread, and likely the class and ambassadors needed to be calmed after Lina’s abrupt exit. Zel had checked in to find that Lina would not be able to return to her duties any time soon, and with Amelia, Gourry and Leia wrapped up with assisting her, the least that he could do was take over her class.

 

While he would rather assist the Eternal Queen and Han in taking Ambassador Gelo to the basement dungeons, the fact of the matter was that someone needed to keep the school going as usual. He could hear the drone of conversation as he approached, and a hush fell over the classroom as Zelgadis walked in. Then he was suddenly peppered with so many questions he couldn’t untangle them. “Quiet!” he yelled, and the room went silent. “As you well know, it was an eventful afternoon. Unfortunately Dame Lina is needed elsewhere and she left me to finish her class.”

 

“Aww!” Peter groaned, “Can’t we just take a longer break than usual before your class starts?”

 

“Would you like to give up your seat in this school to someone who would be more grateful for this opportunity, Peter?” Zelgadis asked icily.

 

Peter gulped, and shook his head. Zelgadis looked at the rest of the class, “Does anyone else want to goof off?”

 

Silence greeted him. Zelgadis nodded, and then reached into his pocket and brought out a box. “As you are aware, earlier Nimitz, a cat who resides at this school, cornered Amabassador Gelo in Ambassador Arkowitz’s room. We quickly discovered that this box had been placed on his desk. Upon examining the other guest rooms, similar boxes were found in most of them.”

 

Zelgadis quietly opened the box and pulled out the diamond within, “There was a note saying that these are the latest fashion from Zefiel City and inviting the recipient to wear them on their forehead for dinner. I must strongly caution, if you ever come across something like this, do not put it on your forehead. Report it to me immediately. They are a means of enchanting the wearer to take over their mind and force them to do another person’s bidding.”

 

A few people started whispering among themselves, and then Bruce raised his hand, “But what if they’ve sent this to other kingdoms?”

 

“And that is the reason I urge every ambassador here to send an urgent message to their sovereigns about this, before someone tries to gain power by misusing these. I have seen powerful people made to do the will of another and helpless to fight against it while under its influence.” Zelgadis said. “Before I dismiss you to do that, though, who in here knows how to cast a Flow Break spell?”

 

A few students raised their hands. “Come up to the front of class.” Zel instructed, “Now, everyone, ambassadors included, are to break into groups with someone familiar with using the spell and allow that person to teach the spell to you. If you ever suspect someone is under the control of one of these devices, then a Flow Break spell will disrupt it. Some of you may not have the capacity to cast it. We will do the best that we can.”

* * *

 

“That’s better now,” Lina said tiredly, “Instead of spreading to my stomach they’re just staying in my back.”

 

“Thank goodness,” Leia said as she wiped her forehead with a damp rag.

 

“They’re also getting further apart.” Amelia noted as she looked at the clock. “It’s working, just keep it up!”

 

Gourry wished it would stop. He hated seeing Lina in pain, especially when he felt responsible for it. While she’d made the decision to have a child, he also couldn’t help thinking about how aware she was of the fact that he had desperately wanted a baby and that it had influenced her to have one sooner than she may have otherwise decided to. That she had to bear all of the pain and inconvenience of bearing a child wasn’t fair.

 

Amazingly though, she settled against the pillows and seemed to doze. At first he was scared that it meant something was wrong, but none of the women seemed alarmed by it. He quietly held her hand as he did his best to ignore his aching stomach as the door opened. “What’s happening?” Guloisa asked.

 

Don’t you knock?” Leia yelled as Lina stirred.

 

“Leave. Now.” Lina said as she turned around to face away from Guloisa.

 

“I have every right to know what is happening.” Guloisa maintained indignantly, but Gourry was already up and was at the door in a few strides.

 

“This is the last time we’re asking. Leave.” He said, his voice low.

 

Guloisa folded her arms under her breasts and glared at him, clearly daring him to force her to leave. Gourry grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out the room. “Did you ever tell her?” she yelled loudly, and Gourry realized that if he locked the door she would continue to stand outside and yell. Lina needed peace and quiet, so he continued to drag his mother to the stairs as she screamed, “You pretend to be so noble but you got your hands just as dirty! You can’t pretend you’re not one of us!”

 

Gourry braced himself for the barrage of verbal abuse that would follow as he continued walking to the staircase and Guloisa had to race to keep up as he held firmly to her arm. “What, are you going to throw me down? Your own mother!?”

 

He said nothing as he dragged her down the stairs as she dropped to her feet, “My ankle.”

 

“Knock off the act!” he said as he pulled her up, “Your ankle is fine. You can walk back to the Elmekian Empire just fine on it and give Gregory my regards!”

 

People started to gather in the foyer as he came down, and Gourry realized that it might have been better to lock her in her room. Still, it was too late to change course now. As they reached the bottom step Guloisa spat. “After all you’ve done to us you don’t deserve to be a father! That’s why she’s losing the baby!”

 

Gourry felt something cold run through him as he let her go. She straightened to her full height as his hand curled into a fist and he swung, hitting the wooden support column beside her hard enough to dent it. “I will do whatever it takes to keep you away from my family! So you will leave now or so help me…”

 

From behind him, someone put a hand on his shoulder. “Baroness Gabriev,” The Eternal Queen said, “Walk with me.”

 

“Did you see him threaten me?” Guloisa asked, a hint of smugness in her voice as people whispered around them.

 

“I saw some remarkable restraint. I believe if you had said that within Dame Inverse’s earshot you would be lucky to be standing.”

 

Zelgadis and Han made their way to the front of the crowd and walked towards him as the students and other ambassadors whispered among themselves. The queen continued, “It’s been a long day. Come on, let’s take a walk and let tempers cool.”

 

“I want to know what is happening with my grandchild!” Guloisa said.

 

“So do I.” Han said, his voice low as he moved to stand beside Gourry, “You don’t see me demanding to enter her room and spilling news of her condition in front of everyone. This is happening to her, not you. And if you can’t respect that then I will help Gourry drag you out of here.”

 

“Fine,” Guloisa said as she moved towards the Eternal Queen, “Let’s walk then.”

 

“Don’t you ever come back, or you will regret it.” Gourry spat, his voice uncommonly cold.

 

“Then make me regret it.” Guloisa replied, and then finally she left with the Eternal Queen.

 

As soon as she had, Gourry found himself surrounded by students. “Is Dame Lina okay?” “Is she really pregnant?” “Is she dead?”

 

Gourry felt his head swarm as Pippi came up and grabbed his hand, “Here. Recovery.”

 

Did his hand need a recovery spell? He could barely feel it. And what about all of the questions they were asking? He was too overwhelmed to know what to say, especially as Lina had been so private about her condition. Finally he settled with, “Lina’s alive, but she’s very sick right now. Sylphiel is attending her, I will let you know more when I can.”

 

“But she’s pregnant?” Ripley asked, her eyes wide.

 

“I thought she was dressing like she was hiding a bump.” Maeve said knowingly.

 

“I need to get back to her.” Gourry said, “Excuse me.”

 

“The spell’s not done yet!” Pippi protested.

 

“I’m fine. Thank you, though.” Gourry said, desperate to get away from the crowd before he broke down.

 

“Tell her we’re rooting for her!” Ace said.

 

Gourry tried to smile, but he was too shaken. He had thought his mother had exhausted her means of hurting him, but somehow she had found a new way to make a cut. Han and Zelgadis followed him up the stairs as Zelgadis said, “I’m sorry. I thought it would be best if I continued Lina’s class but I guess it got your mother suspicious when Lina didn’t show up again. Some of the students said she didn’t seem well before she left.”

 

“Mother would have found out one way or another.” Gourry said as he started to wipe his eyes, and that was when he noticed his hand was bloodied.

 

“I need to reign everyone in.” Zelgadis said, “I’ll check in after class.”

 

“Thanks.” Gourry said. “Damn, I need to pull it together before I go back in.”

 

“How is Lina doing?” Han asked. “I mean, what is happening? Did she lose the baby?”

 

“No. She came close, but Sylphiel thinks she can save it. Damn, Lina’s been so brave facing this and I’m just a mess…”

 

“Hey.” Han said bracingly. “You dealt with your mother rather than letting her run all over you and you took care of your family.”

 

Gourry exhaled and nodded, “Come on, let’s see how she’s doing.”

 

“Just take a moment to wash your face and get that blood off your hands.” Han said, “Lina will know something is up if she sees you now.”

 

“Thanks.” Gourry said as he headed off to the bathroom.

* * *

 

It had been an eventful day. A game changing one, Xellos reflected as he watched from the astral plane. No, things weren’t completely looking up. Unfortunately it seemed as though the Shrine Maiden would be competent enough to save Lina’s pregnancy. But if she wasn’t, how wonderful would it be to go back to his usual mission rather than his current one of figuring out how to rear a human child!

 

Still, he had a feeling Lina’s pregnancy would survive. But the complication had presented him with a golden opportunity to implement his new strategy. Would this be the turning point for the Mazoku race? Could their luck finally be turning? Quietly he moved to follow Guloisa and the Eternal Queen, and he prayed that Guloisa would spend one final night at Maninstit.

* * *

 

Lina smiled in relief as Gourry came in. “You’re just in time.” She said.

 

“What?” he asked as he quickly made it to the bed.

 

“I guess your mother was good for something. I’ve not had one contraction since she burst in!”

 

“The stress likely helped to stop them.” Amelia explained.

 

“Sylphiel was about to put me under, she didn’t want to waste too much time waiting for you to come back.” Lina continued.

 

He stroked her hair as Sylphiel added, “Sometimes a shock can be a good thing.”

 

“I met your dad while I was escorting Mother out. She’s with the Eternal Queen now, and she’ll keep her away from us. Your dad is right next door and he’ll be waiting with us. So you just focus on you and little Dimmy.”

 

Lina playfully punched him on the shoulder, “He can be Dimmy for now. But when it’s time for him to come out in a few months, we’re finding a different name.”

 

He kissed her, “I’ll be right next door, love.”

 

She squeezed his hand, “I know.”

 

Once he had left with Leia, Lina leaned back on the pillows, and caught the look on Sylphiel’s face. Though the other woman quickly composed it, Lina suddenly felt a surge of guilt for how openly affectionate they had been. She worked to put it out of her mind as Sylphiel instructed. “Just relax, and let the sleep spell do its work.”

 

“Right,” Lina said as she closed her eyes. And hoped that she would still be pregnant when she woke.


	42. Chapter 42

They hadn’t even been waiting for an hour before Amelia knocked, and Gourry was certain that the worst had happened. But when the door opened, Amelia was smiling. “Everything went perfectly! Miss Sylphiel is waking Lina now.”

 

He felt tears of relief slide down his face as Leia pulled him into a hug, “There, everything will be fine.”

 

He nodded and patted her back, and then they followed Amelia down the hallway. Lina was already awake when he opened the door. “How are you feeling?” he asked as he made it to her bedside and grabbed her hand as her parents crowded around the other side.

 

“Surprisingly normal.” Lina said, “I don’t even feel the stitches.”

 

“We are so lucky that you were here.” Leia said as she turned to Sylphiel and clasped her hands, “Thank you so much.”

 

“Yes,” Lina added, “Thank you.”

 

Sylphiel smiled slightly as she nodded, “I’m going to monitor you closely for the next twenty-four hours just in case anything starts again, but I don’t think that it will. And I must strongly urge the importance of staying off your feet until I give you the clear in about three days.”

 

“After this scare, not a problem.” Lina said, “But after that I’ll be fully mobile, right?”

 

“You can even fight a Mazoku if you need to.” Sylphiel said, “When you get to be thirty-seven weeks pregnant your midwife will have to remove the stitches so everything will be ready when he’s big enough to come out.”

 

“Will the baby come immediately after the stitches are removed?” Leia asked.

 

“No,” Sylphiel said, “But likely shortly sometime after that.”

 

“Why did this happen?” Gourry asked.

 

“Sometimes the neck of the womb just isn’t strong enough to support the weight of the baby.” Sylphiel explained, “If you have other children you’ll likely have to do this again.”

 

“Let’s just focus on seeing this one safely out.” Lina said as she rubbed her stomach. “Hey, can we hear the heartbeat again? My dad didn’t get to hear it earlier.”

 

“Of course,” Sylphiel said, even as her eyes seemed to dim a bit as Han put his hand on Lina’s shoulder and beamed at his daughter. “I can even show you how to cast it.”

 

* * *

 

“It was so lucky you were here.” Amelia said as she walked with Sylphiel into her room, “I’m not sure if I could have done that on my own. Justice has a way of working miracles!”

 

Sylphiel closed her eyes in a grimace, and Amelia stuttered, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. It must be hard for you, seeing them like this.”

 

Sylphiel shut the door behind them and walked to the window, “Respectfully, Princess, what’s hard is that I am the only one who remembers it happened. Four years ago tomorrow.”

 

“Huh?” Amelia said.

 

“Sairaag was destroyed. And only a handful of survivors, people I barely knew before its destruction, and myself, we’re the only ones who remember.”

 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realize.”

 

Tears started to flow down Sylphiel’s cheeks. “Duke Zelgadis, Dame Lina, Sir Gourry, they were all there when it happened. But at most it is a horrific memory to them, one of many I suppose. For me, I lost everything. They moved past it, and I haven’t.”

 

“But you can rebuild.”

 

“It won’t bring the people back.” Sylphiel said.

 

“You miss your family?” Amelia said knowingly.

 

“It doesn’t usually overwhelm me, but if I do have a child, my parents won’t be there to meet him, or her. It doesn’t usually affect me when I’m working, but seeing Dame Lina with her parents today…”

 

“I understand.” Amelia said as she caressed her belly, “I’ve been missing my mother a lot, and regretting that she won’t get to meet her. And I’m so worried my daddy won’t be able to be here when she’s born. Miss Leia has been stepping in, so to say, and it helps, but it’s also not the same.”

 

Sylphiel sat down on a chair by the window, and Amelia took a seat on the opposite side, “Have you found someone to settle down with?”

 

Sylphiel was silent for a moment, and then she said, “That’s a complicated question.”

 

“Huh?” Amelia said.

 

“Let’s just say, I’ve been silly and foolish.”

 

“Given all that you’ve been through…” Amelia said.

 

“I let myself get caught up in some silly fantasy rather than face the hard reality.” Sylphiel snapped, and then her face softened in remorse, “I’m sorry. I’m just so mad at myself right now, and I keep snapping.”

 

“What happened?” Amelia asked.

 

“You know, when Copy Rezo came to Sairaag, he’d told us a bunch of horrible rumors about Dame Lina so that we would believe that she had Sir Gourry under some sort of spell. And I wanted it to be true, because then he wouldn’t be traveling with her because he liked her. The problem was it wasn’t true. Still, I latched onto every one of her faults, and I was sure that one day Sir Gourry would tire of them, because his destiny had to be with me.”

 

“Destiny?” Amelia repeated.

 

“Sir Gourry was descended from the Swordsman of Light who had saved Sairaag once. He had the Sword of Light. He’d saved it again the first time he visited Sairaag. Even though it was destroyed the second time he visited, I was so certain that to rebuild it I would need his help. That a man wielding the Sword of Light would have to be integral to the story of rebuilding Sairaag, and that he would be so enamored with me for all my help and assistance….and it’s so silly now that I think about it now.”

 

“No,” Amelia said, “It does sound like something you’d read in a book.”

 

“Men came to court me in Saillune, but I turned them away to focus on learning the Dragon Slave and become more useful. My uncle wrote me that one of them had just gotten married. I should have taken that chance at love while it was available. Especially since Sir Gourry didn’t look at me twice after Hellmaster was defeated, even though I’d been kinder to him than Lina. It started to sink in, I would need to rebuild Sairaag alone. And perhaps one day he would realize his destiny lay there.”

 

“But he married Lina instead.” Amelia said.

 

“Seeing this, all that they have accomplished together. And seeing how it isn’t a lark on his part, that he has good reasons for being with her, and seeing what is possible to love about her. It’s more than that, though. She has her parents and a school who adores her. My parents will never know my children, and should anything happen to me, well, my Uncle Grey would likely shed a few tears, but I’d otherwise go unremarked. But I’ve spent the past few years in this fantasy of what I could build without actually doing anything substantial.”

 

“Well, sometimes things happen quicker for some than others.” Amelia said, “And losing your entire city, that would take awhile for anyone to come back from. And I know it’s early in the process, but you’re getting the ball rolling, and after this you can do whatever you want…”

 

“Except I can’t.” Sylphiel said.

 

“Huh?” Amelia said.

 

“My father didn’t have a title, but his grandfather was the younger son of a baron. No titles or land passed to them, but the barony was destroyed when Copy Rezo destroyed the city, and I was the only survivor. So the prince is insisting that when Sairaag is rebuilt, I should be installed as the baroness.”

 

“But you’ve not claimed it?” Amelia asked.

 

“The prince is wanting to marry me to his best friend, a younger son of a noble lord who doesn’t have a rank of his own. I’ve not met him, so I don’t know what type of man he is, but I never wanted an arranged marriage. He can’t force me, but…”

 

“As a noble, any marriage you make would have to be approved by the king.” Amelia said as it dawned on her.

 

“So he can ensure that no one else can marry me.” Sylphiel said. “Goodness knows I have a lot to keep me busy. But I want children, desperately. After losing my entire family like that with only a distant uncle and cousin to fall back on…”

 

“No one could blame you for wanting children!”

 

“So I’ve thought about refusing the barony so they can’t control me. But I worry about losing funding and support for rebuilding Sairaag should I do that.”

 

“Surely after all you’ve done here…” Amelia said.

 

“I’m sorry, Pirncess, but the world doesn’t dispense justice equally. I should have given more time to the men who came calling when I was in Saillune rather than taking a gamble on someone who never looked at me twice. I just never saw how my ability to marry for love would be curtailed.” Sylphiel said. “Perhaps the princes’ friend won’t be so bad. I’ve been putting off meeting him. I should just get it over with and see what sort of man he is before I make my decision.”

 

Amelia thought for a moment, “Are you sure that you have no surviving relatives with a better claim to the barony?”

 

“Huh?” Sylphiel said.

 

“You see it happen all the time.” Amelia said matter-of-factly, “Some lord dies with no children. And rather than thoroughly check the family tree the ruling family often finds the first person who would be of use to them to inherit, rather than the rightful heir. Then when the rightful heir catches wind of it a nasty struggle ensues.”

 

“I definitely wouldn’t want to take the barony if some distant cousin is the true owner.” Sylphiel said as she started to brighten.

 

“I know you wouldn’t. So all we have to do is track down your great-grandfather’s descendants. Surely one of them got out of Sairaag, and has a better claim to the barony than you.”

 

“But the Prince said he’d researched…” Sylphiel said.

 

Amelia waved her finger at her, “Always double check. In fact, there’s a Duke I’d stayed with after we split up after Hellmaster was defeated before I set off to Saillune who owes me a favor. What was your great-grandfather’s name? I’ll write to him immediately.”

 

* * *

 

“Gourry,” Lina sang sweetly as she put her hand over her husband’s, “You’re not going to eat that roast beef are you?”

 

Gourry looked at Lina warily as she continued, “I mean, you wouldn’t want little Dimmy to go hungry, would you?”

 

He shook his head and put a slice on her plate, “It’s a good thing Nelly gave me extra. It’s also a good thing he’ll be born in the fall. If you were pregnant during the winter you’d eat through all of the food supplies in a week and create a famine!”

 

“Hey!” she said. “Growing a baby takes a lot of energy! And I still don’t eat as much as you do!”

 

“Whatever you say,” he said as he leaned over to rub her head as he reflected that it was nice having dinner just the two of them. Everyone else had gone down to the dining room, but since Lina had had to have her meals sent up, he had decided to eat with her. “What’s your take on the incident with Ambassador Gelo?”

 

Lina exhaled, “It’s rather scary when you think of it. I mean, I was completely blindsided when Sis was taken over. I’m almost to the point where I want to cast a Flow Break spell every time I enter a room, just in case.”

 

“I’m surprised it’s only recently become a problem.” Gourry said.

 

“Well, sorcerers like Eris who could do stuff like this were rather rare. But Mazoku, with their larger magic capacity, and their sudden interest in our politics, on the other hand, well, let’s just say it’s a bad combination.”

 

Someone knocked, and Lina said, “Come in.”

 

The Eternal Queen walked in, and Gourry sat up in the chair by the bed as Lina wiped her mouth with a napkin, “Welcome back, your majesty. Please have a seat.”

 

“Thanks.” The Eternal Queen said as she grabbed a chair and pulled it by the bed, “How are you feeling?”

 

“Better.” Lina said, “It was lucky that Sylphiel was here.”

 

“Indeed. This child means so much for our world, and it means so much for you. I am afraid I’ve been tasking you with too much.”

 

“Oh, I don’t think that had much to do with it.” Lina said.

 

“Still, I will ask the ambassadors to leave within the week and leave you to running the school and preparing for your arrival.”

 

“Thank you, ma’am.” Lina said, even if she did feel conflicted. She didn’t want to be treated any different!

 

Sensing her reticence, the Eternal Queen smiled, “And if you aren’t ready for things to slow down now, once that child gets larger you will be.”

 

Lina smiled, “I suppose you’re right.”

 

“Now about your mother,” The Eternal Queen said as she looked at Gourry, “She is currently staying with my great-grandson who resides in a nice manor in town and she will not trouble you.”

 

_We’ve heard that before._ Lina thought, but she managed to keep her words polite and simple, “Thank you.”

 

“I’ll let you get your rest.” The Eternal Queen said as she got up and walked out.

 

Lina looked at Gourry and asked, “What did she do this time anyway?”

 

Gourry exhaled, “Well, let’s just say that the whole school knows you’re pregnant now.”

 

“What!?” Lina exclaimed.

 

“I’m sorry, Lina. She just threw it out there. They are all excited for you.”

 

“Well, I guess what’s done is done.” Lina said irritatedly, “I think there’s something more you’re not telling me.”

 

“Let’s just say it got real ugly, and leave it at that.” He said. He really did not want to rehash it.

 

She looked at him, and he patted her hand, “Just rest up. Worry about it another day, okay? And hey, these potatoes are delicious!”

 

* * *

 

“Is this okay?” Gourry asked, before he started kissing her. The dinner dishes had been cleared away and the house had quieted for the night.

 

“Nothing below the waist and I’m sure we’ll be fine.” Lina said as she pulled him to her and deepened the kiss.

 

Someone knocked, and they shared an annoyed glance, even as they sat up in bed and Gourry wrapped an arm around her, “Come in.” Lina said.

 

Sylphiel opened the door and poked her head in, and Lina tensed. _Well, this is awkward._

 

“I’m just checking in to see how you are doing.” Sylphiel said as she entered Lina’s room as Lina thought to herself, _Well, since she knows I’m pregnant with Gourry’s child it’s not as if it’s any big surprise to her that we share a bed_.

 

“We’re doing great. We really can’t thank you enough.”

 

“Yes,” Gourry added, “Thank you for taking good care of her.”

 

“I’m happy I was able to help.” Sylphiel said as she smiled, “I am surprised you’re still up. Usually an ordeal like that makes people sleepy.”

 

“Oh, I guess we never got around to explaining.” Lina said, and then she decided that the situation with Sylphiel was merely a bottomless pit of awkwardness. At least in this case it wasn’t sexual. She had once promised Sylphiel that she would never cast the Giga Slave, and even though everything had worked out, she didn’t like bringing it up. “But this is a blessed pregnancy.”

 

“Is it?” Sylphiel asked, then she sighed, “Of course. A spell like that would have altered you in some way.”

 

She looked at them for a moment, and Lina was suddenly very cognizant of the fact that Gourry was in bed with her. Fully clothed, thank goodness. Sylphiel quietly said, “I would advise against resuming marital relations at the moment. Wait for five days, and then you can proceed as normal.”

 

Lina blushed. Even though Sylphiel had been as professional as possible, it was weird, “Um, thanks. Hey, I know you’ve already done so much for us. But this made me realize I don’t know enough about what is happening to me. I mean, I never really read much about pregnancy growing up, I was too busy studying magic and the like. And because I didn’t know what was normal and what wasn’t I could easily have lost this baby, if you hadn’t have been there and noticed what was going on. Are there any books that you would recommend? I mean, I stay up all night reading now anyway so I might as well beef up my knowledge here.”

 

“Of course.” Sylphiel said, “I remember seeing a copy of one in your library. I’ll go and get it for you and then I’ll turn in for the night. I wish I was a bit closer in case anything does go wrong.”

 

“You can use Gourry’s room for the night.” Lina said, “It’s not like he ever sleeps there, so…”

 

Lina suddenly blushed as Sylphiel’s face went slightly taunt, “Thank you. I will be back, and then I’ll be right down the hall should you need me.”

 

“Right,” Lina said.

 

* * *

 

Xellos caught a glimpse of his reflection as he walked by the fountain. He then smiled at the man who walked past and stopped him, “Excuse me, could you point me in the direction of the manor house?”

 

“Three blocks down that way.” The man said as he pointed.

 

“Thank you.” Xellos replied as he set off in that direction. He then dawdled for a bit. Depending on who you asked, it was either late at night or early in the morning so few people were out and about. Still, it was important that people saw him. Or rather, the person they thought he was. The more people who remembered seeing a dumb blonde wandering around town and asking for the location of the house where Guloisa was staying at, the better. The Eternal Queen taking her out of Maninstit did create a barrier, but not an insurmountable one. Especially for a Mazoku of his power who could alter his appearance to look like anyone he wanted.

 

An old woman finally shuffled down the street, and he asked her for directions. After ensuring that a few other people saw him, he easily found the manor house, and he walked through the lawns to where Guloisa’s window was. He picked up some pebbles as he walked by, and then threw them at her window. He waited until he saw her face appear and made sure that she got a good look at him. She opened it and yelled, “Gourry?”

 

_Fooled his own mother,_ Xellos thought as he grinned and turned around. He slowly started walking away. When he got to the edge of the grounds he waited, and after several minutes he heard the door open, and Guloisa cry, “Gourry, wait!”

 

He kept walking again. While imitating a physical appearance was easy, he was less sure about being able to imitate Gourry’s voice with the accuracy needed to fool her. If anything, though, staying silent seemed to infuriate Guloisa, “Why won’t you talk to me? Cat got your tongue? Tell me, what news is there? Did the baby make it? Why won’t you answer me!?”

 

Xellos saw a few lights go on in the buildings they passed by, and faces pressed against windows. Someone opened one and called out at them to keep it down. Xellos smiled. This was working out better than he could have possibly expected!

 

He let Guloisa catch up to him. She grabbed his arm, “Why did you come out here?”

 

“Shh,” he said, and he kept walking.

 

“Well what kind of an answer is that!?” she replied.

 

He grinned as they reached the outskirts of town, and sensing something was wrong she backed away as a wave of fear ran through her, “What’s…”

 

He unsheathed his sword. He didn’t like to use such crude weapons, but in this case, there was little choice. Guloisa’s eyes widened, and she said, “You wouldn’t.”

 

He grinned, “I said I would do what I needed to keep my family safe from you.”

 

And then he swung.

 

* * *

 

Xellos had every reason to expect Gourry’s room to be empty. The swordsman had not stayed there once since Xellos had started observing them. While Xellos had every reason to believe that Gourry was enjoying his bed with Lina in the next room, he still checked from the astral plane to ensure it was empty before he materialized within to plant to evidence he needed.

 

He was caught off guard when the bathroom door opened, and the Shrine Maiden, dressed in a long flowing nightdress, walked in, her path lit by a light spell. “Who are you? Get out, now!” she said.

 

Before Xellos could consider what to do, an ethereal otherworldly screaming resounded from Lina’s room, and soon the ghostly wail of Guloisa Gabriev could be heard demanding, “Gourry Gabriev, what did you do to me!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Figuring out the timeline for Slayers can be tricky. Sairaag was destroyed a few months after Lina and Gourry met (and in the novels, Amelia was not part of the group then). Hellmaster was defeated either 6 months to a year after Lina and Gourry met, and the amount of time they traveled together after that is either 1-2 years…depending on the book. I guess when you’re a hopeless adventuress you’re not checking a calendar much. So figuring out how long Sairaag has been destroyed is rather imprecise, and I’m probably wrong.


	44. Chapter 44

After attempting to read on her stomach and finding that it was no longer possible to get comfortable putting so much pressure on her belly, Lina flipped over to her back, and was confronted with how to hoist the heavy book up and hold it without wearing out her wrists. She eventually put a giant pillow on her stomach and propped the book against it. Not her favorite reading position, but it looked as though it would have to do for the remaining months. 

Beside her Gourry started to snore, and she took a moment to run her hand through his soft hair before she continued to read. She pulled the blankets more tightly around her as the room grew colder, and it took a moment for her to realize that it was not normal. Then Gourry stirred, sat up in bed and stared straight ahead. At first Lina could see nothing, but then the cold became tinged with a feeling of rage as a red light appeared and an otherworldly voice screamed, “Gourry Gabriev, what did you do!?”

Gourry stood up, hand on his sword as an apparition of Guloisa appeared. She seemed larger than usual and surrounded by a reddish hue as the room seemed to vibrate with her anger. However she had come to be here, it was obvious that her vengeful spirit was visiting them. Lina put her hand over her mouth. If Guloisa was a ghost, then…

The chandelier overhead started to sway ominously. “Sylphiel!” Lina called, feeling unusually paralyzed. She was bedbound for the next three days. But if Guloisa started attacking, then she would need to weigh the risks of running versus staying in place. And they needed someone who could perform an exorcism spell. While Lina could handle a low level one, given the special nature of their house, Lina was sure that something more complex would be needed.

The ropes holding the chandelier started to creak ominously as the candles perched upon it started to lose their balance. Thankfully Lina had been reading by a light spell so they were unlit, but they were large candles that would definitely hurt if they landed on her. Before she could move, Gourry lunged and pulled her off the bed and into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he somehow managed to grab the Blast Sword and hold it before him and he charged for the door.

Guloisa’s ghost continued to wail and scream as Gourry cut through it, and finally she was silenced, if only but briefly. As he pulled the door open to the hallway that adjoined their rooms, her spirit materialized behind them and started following them through the narrow passage. Lina had hoped that they would run into Sylphiel along the way, but it wasn’t until they reached Gourry’s room and opened the door that they saw her. Slouched on the floor and bleeding profusely as Xellos stood over her wielding a bloodied sword.

Xellos grinned menacingly when he saw them, and Lina wondered if the situation could get any worse. But rather than attacking he simply said, “Next time.” And then he vanished.

Gourry hastily sat her on the bed as he knelt down by Sylphiel to check for a pulse as Guloisa wailed pitifully, “She’s alive, but I think we need Amelia.”

As if on cue, the doors flew open, and Amelia and Zelgadis came in, “What’s going on?”

“Guloisa’s a ghost and we came in and we found Xellos attacking Sylphiel.” Lina explained. “Zel, get one of the students who can perform an exorcism spell, or a Resurrection spell.”

“Right,” Zelgadis said as he set off downstairs as Han and Leia came in.

Amelia started performing Resurrection on Sylphiel as Leia got in front of Lina. Once assured that she was safe, Gourry walked over to his mother’s spirit, an indecipherable expression on his face. “What happened to you?” he asked.

“Don’t you play dumb with me!” she shrieked. “You cut me down!”

“That’s not possible! Gourry’s been with me all night. He’s not left my side once.” Lina said.

The room grew colder, almost as though Guloisa was sucking all of the heat from it to fuel her rage as she screamed, “Lies!” 

An intense energy filled the room as objects started to rise from the cabinets and tables they were stored upon. Lina started to wonder if Sylphiel could hold on long enough for Amelia to contain Guloisa first, but decided not to risk it. “Look, I get that you’re mad!” Lina said, “If someone killed me I’d be mad too! And you can bet I’d come back as a ghost to haunt them. But first I’d make sure I got the right person.”

“You think I wouldn’t know my own son?” Guloisa shot back.

“What makes you so sure it was Gourry?” Lina replied as several ambassadors, as well as the Eternal Queen, appeared at the door to see what the commotion was about. “Take me through what happened.”

“I was woken by the sound of someone throwing rocks at my window. When I went to check I saw Gourry standing on the grounds.”

“What time was it?” Lina asked.

“Ten past two.”

The ambassadors started murmuring to each other, and Lina glanced at the water clock in Gourry’s room. It was only two twenty. The Eternal Queen had said that she’d taken Guloisa to the small village near Maninstit, but it took about thirty minutes to walk to it. Simply put there was no way Gourry could have been at two places at once. “It’s two twenty now.” Lina said.

“He made real good time then!” Guloisa screamed as the room grew colder and more menacing. One of the ambassadors screamed.

“Okay, fine, what happened after you saw someone who looked like him on the grounds?” Lina said.

“I started to follow him. And he wouldn’t answer me! That was so rude of him! And then, when we got to the outskirts of town, he grabbed his sword and cut me down!”

“Are you sure it wasn’t someone who altered their appearance to look like Gourry?” Lina asked as Zelgadis came in with Susan and Marcus. “Did you notice anything strange about him?”

“He wasn’t speaking to me.”

“And could that be because whoever it was couldn’t imitate Gourry’s voice?” Lina asked.

“Who would do that?” Guloisa asked, and then as the children started chanting a spell she screamed as she rushed towards them, “Don’t you dare attempt to seal me away!”

Susan yelped as she stopepd chanting while the color drained from Marcus’ face as the ghost moved through them, and into the ambassadors behind them, who all shivered as though a bucket of ice had been dumped on them. Guloisa laughed as her disembodied voice mocked, “Is that the best you can do? Is this the best this pathetic little school has to offer?”

“They’re kids,” Gourry said as Guloisa continued to laugh.

Marcus ran up to Gourry, “We need a lock of your hair.”

Gourry didn’t question the odd request. He grabbed a fistful from the lower part of his head where it wouldn’t be very visible and cut it off and handed it to Marcus, just as a breeze started to move through the room. Marcus nodded as he ran back to Susan, and together they started chanting. Gourry’s hair started to glow like freshly spun hay, and then tendrils of light started to spread from it. People started exclaiming in shock as Guloisa started screaming in protest. But soon the tendrils locked on to her and pulled her into view as they wrapped around her tightly.

“Where should we keep her?” Susan asked, obviously straining to keep their otherworldly visitor under control.

“The room she was staying in is still empty.” Lina said.

“You can’t hold me here forever!” Guloisa yelled in protest.

Zelgadis, meanwhile, said, “Follow me, I’ll show you where the room is.”

Susan and Marcus pulled, and gradually they were able to move Guloisa’s begrudging spirit out of the room and into the hallway. The room warmed up as she left and they got further away. A few ambassadors left to watch, but several stayed as they looked at the scene in Gourry’s room in shock.

Lina took a deep breath as she leaned against the pillows as clutched her stomach. Was she finally feeling the baby move, or was it just butterflies in her stomach? She glanced at Amelia and Sylphiel and saw that Sylphiel was stirring. She was fairly sure that Susan and Marcus would be able to seal her into her room. They’d been able to do it with the Sad Lady, after all. Morbidly Lina wondered if Maninstit would become a home for the spirits of the deceased.

“What happened?” the Eternal Queen asked.

“My best guess? Xellos attempted to kill Sylphiel.” Lina explained.

“Xellos!?” Leia exclaimed.

“Yes. Gourry and I saw him when we were running from Guloisa and caught him in the act. Here’s the thing I want everyone in this room to remember. Xellos could have easily killed Sylphiel with his powers, but he ran her through with a sword. Why would he do that unless he was attempting to frame Gourry?” Lina said as Gourry stared awkwardly at the floor, as if unsure how to react.

“But why kill Sylphiel?” one of the ambassadors asked.

“Sylphiel, I would say, was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I may be going out on a limb, but I would bet you anything that Xellos killed the Baroness but wanted it to look as though Gourry had. He probably wanted to plant evidence of the crime in Gourry’s room. Gourry never uses this room at night and he had every reason to expect it to be empty. Sylphiel was staying here to keep a close eye on me in case I ran into anymore complications, though, so he was likely startled when he found her here and attempted to kill her as well.” Lina explained as she rubbed her stomach, which wasn’t settling down. What if no one believed her? “As for why he would want to kill the Baroness, I can think of several reasons, none of them good.”

People started murmuring again as Sylphiel sat up. “Is it true that Xellos attacked you?” one of the ambassadors asked.

“It was a man I’d never seen before.” Sylphiel said as she put her hands to her temples, “Black, chin length hair. From the bloodlust he generated I don’t think he was human.”

“That’s Xellos.” Lina confirmed.

“Come,” the Eternal Queen said as she turned towards the ambassadors, “Let’s go downstairs for drinks. Sir Gourry has suffered a horrible shock, and Dame Lina needs her rest, and Ambassador Lahda needs to recover from her ordeal.”

“Right.” Several people murmured.

“I’m going down with them to see what the vibe is.” Han whispered to Leia as she nodded.

“I’ll make sure everyone here gets settled in.” Leia replied, and then she turned to her daughter, “And let’s get you back to your own bed so Sylphiel can rest more comfortably.” 

“Right.” Gourry said mechanically as he lifted Lina up. Under different circumstances she might have given him a hard time over treating her like an invalid. But given the expression on his face, it was obvious that silence was the best thing for the moment.

* * *

“How are you feeling?” Lina asked Gourry as he stared out the window leading out to the balcony. 

“I don’t even know.” He said as he squinted. “Someone is coming.”

“Who?” Lina asked as Leia came over to look.

“Looks like an official sort.” Gourry said. “Probably here to have my hide.”

“There’s a house full of people who saw you here tonight!” Lina shot back. “They can’t have you.”

He walked towards her and gently kissed her. “I’ll handle it. Don’t worry, just take care of yourself.”

He put a hand on her stomach, and for the first time, Lina resented being pregnant. Stay in bed for three days. It should have been so easy. But then, when in her life had she gone three straight days without an emergency? She hated having to stay put and let other people do the work! “Bring me down with you.” She demanded.

“Well, damned if I can see a thing out there, but I’ll take your word for it.” Leia said as she sat on the bed and put an arm around Lina, “Gourry, go and find the Eternal Queen and follow her lead. Lina, don’t force me to sit on you. Stay put and rest up, no one is taking Gourry away.”

Gourry nodded, “I’ll be back.” He said. 

Lina watched him leave pensively, and as the door closed behind him Leia said, “Look, your quick, logic thinking has already helped him so much. The Eternal Queen will be able to put that to good use. And if it helps, you can yell at me for keeping you up here.”

Lina sighed, and leaned her head against her shoulder, “I guess there are times where it is good to have people around to shoulder the burden. This still sucks.”

* * *

Gourry could barely feel anything, other than an intense desire to sleep, as he walked to the foyer. The man he had seen earlier was knocking and, since Jeeves still refused to stay overnight, the ambassadors and the Eternal Queen as well as Zel, Amelia and Han, had come out to see who was there. Gourry took a deep breath, and tried to work up some energy as he joined the crowd. Somehow he would have to get through this confrontation.

The doors opened and Kara and Bruce, who had guard duty that night, came in, obviously surprised by the crowd already gathered in the foyer. “Good evening.” The Eternal Queen said as Gourry stood beside her. “Welcome, Constable Finley.”

“Your Majesty.” The Constable said, “I hate to bother you so late, but I’m here on a very serious matter. There was a murder in the village earlier.”

“We are aware. The ghost of the victim has already visited this manor to inform us of the circumstances of her death.”

“Ghost?” The Constable said as the color drained from his face, “There’s a ghost here?”

“Two ghosts, but they are both contained in certain rooms of the house and will not bother us, unless you would like to interrogate Ambassador Gabriev.”

“If anyone else knew the name of a recently murdered woman before I came to discuss it with them, I would be mighty suspicious. I suppose you know who murdered her.”

“I do, though I have come to a different conclusion you have, as you are here under a case of mistaken identity.” The Eternal Queen said, “Which I shall prove if you follow me to the parlor.”

“There’s nothing mistaken about it. Sir Gourry was seen by the whole village.” Constable Finley said even as he moved with her, and the others followed.

“In this world of magic, Mazoku and demons, is it so hard to believe that there are creatures who can assume the appearance of an innocent man to do a horrible deed?” The Eternal Queen countered. “Multiple witnesses saw Sir Gourry here at the same time that you allegedly saw him in your village. Ambassador Gabriev did create quite a stir with her appearance. And I will prove it.”

“How do you propose to prove that?”

“A man can’t be in two places at once, can he?” The Eternal Queen said as they entered the parlor.

“No, I suppose not.”

“Kara, could you grab some parchment and tear it apart so everyone gets a piece, as well as some quills?”

“Right, your majesty.” Kara said, and she rushed to the school room.

“Everyone who was at Maninstit will write down the time that they saw Sir Gourry here. Once that is done, Constable, you will write the time that Baroness Guloisa was murdered. And we will compare them. For the record, how far is the village from Maninstit?”

“Thirty minutes.” The Constable said. “Though someone running could probably make it in fifteen. And with all of the magic users here…”

“He wouldn’t be able to get here much faster than fifteen minutes.” Zelgadis said.

“Right,” the Constable said as Kara returned and started handing out the parchment. The ambassadors started writing on it, and when they were done everyone looked at the Constable expectantly, who wrote down his own time.

“Let’s see what we have, then.” The Eternal Queen said. “I have two twenty.”

Several ambassadors murmured in agreement with two twenty as the Constable shook his head, “But he was seen in the village at two fifteen!”

“Or something who resembled him.” The Eternal Queen said. “I think we can all agree that it would have been impossible for Sir Gourry to have traveled here from the village in five minutes, and to have cleaned himself of the blood that would have resulted in such a horrible deed. Kara and Bruce, did you see anyone leave or come in before Constable Finley tonight?”

“No, your majesty. It was quiet.”

“Sir Gourry’s wife, who is currently indisposed, also insists that he was with her all night and never left her side. Considering she is with child and nearly lost the baby I have a hard time imagining that Sir Gourry would want to be far from her in case further complications resulted.” The Eternal Queen said.

The constable took off his hat and scratched his bald head, “OK, you’ve convinced me that Sir Gourry was here tonight. But if he didn’t do it, who did?”

“Shortly before two twenty an ambassador who was staying here was attacked by a Mazoku named Xellos. Unlike humans, Mazoku can teleport between two places nearly instantaneously. Xellos would have had no reason to attack Ambassador Lahda, unless she’d caught him planting evidence to incriminate Sir Gourry.”

“That sounds preposterous!” Constable Finley exclaimed.

“She is currently recovering from the ordeal she suffered tonight, but I will bring you up to talk to her about the attack she suffered tonight.”

Constable Finley looked at the Eternal Queen warily, “I won’t see the ghost, will I?”

The Eternal Queen smiled, “You have my assurance.”

“Fine.”

“In the meantime, based on the fact that several witnesses can vouch for Sir Gourry’s presence here near the time of the murder at a location at best fifteen minutes away, can we conclude that you have no reason to hold him?”

Constable Finley sighed, “No. But I don’t know what justice there will be if the culprit was a Mazoku.” What he said next actually pierced the shock that Gourry was feeling as a tendril of dread wrapped around his heart, “But I don’t know how you’ll ever convince the Elmekians that this wasn’t an assassination and avoid a war!”

The Eternal Queen smiled sadly, “One thing at a time, Constable. One thing at a time.”


	46. Chapter 46

The morning after Guloisa had been murdered, Gourry had found himself sleeping off the shock rather than engaging in his normal routine. Fortunately it seemed as though no one held it against him. When he’d woken in the late afternoon, he found he wasn’t sure if he was grieving the loss of his mother or the loss of the mother he never would have. But before he could think about it too much, the Eternal Queen had paid him a visit to explain that she had broken the news of Guloisa’s murder to Gregory via a vision spell, with some worrying developments. And since that had happened, a sense of anxiety and dread had displaced any sadness he had been feeling. And his thoughts became consumed with fears of going to war with his family and having to spill their blood.

As had been expected, Gregory refused to believe Gourry was innocent, regardless of how many ambassadors from many different kingdoms with many competing interests said otherwise. And he was threatening war if Zeferia did not send Gourry to his homeland to answer for his crimes.

“Are you sure you’re up for it today?” Zelgadis asked, “I can take your class again.”

Gourry tried to smile reassuringly as they walked out of the manor the next morning. “No. I need to get back into my schedule.”

“Let me know if you change your mind.” Zelgadis said as Gourry prepared to face his students. While it was a bit hard to get started, once he did it was a wonderful escape from the diplomatic nightmare he had found himself in. As the sun moved higher in the sky he found that the movement and the activity helped distract him from his thoughts. When he dismissed the class to lunch he felt better than he had when it had started. He was about the head back to the manor when he noticed Owen looking at him expectantly. Gourry asked, “Can I help you with something?”

“I want you to know, I believe that you’re innocent.” Owen said, “Still, I don’t know how you didn’t kill her then and there in the foyer after she told you that you deserved to lose the baby. I would have.”

Gourry felt as though ice water had been poured over him. He did not in any way feel equipped for the impending conversation, and suddenly getting back into his normal routine seemed like a foolhardy idea. 

“A good swordsman never strikes a physical blow in response to words.” Gourry eventually said. “Even if those words cut.”

“But some words are inexcusable!” Owen persisted. “If people don’t respect you…”

“You can force people to fear you through violence, but you can’t force people to respect you through it.” Gourry snapped, “If someone isn’t going to respect you, then all you can do is have as little to do with them as possible. And that’s why I ran away from home, and that’s what I saw my mother only when I had to.”

Owen looked at him as Gourry ran his hand through his hair. “Look, to kill, to take a life, it’s not something to take lightly or to puff your chest up over to look tough. And if that’s the lesson that you’ve learned from me, then I’ve failed as a teacher.”

“Look, no one would have blamed you if you had…”

“And where does it end?” Gourry asked as he felt a dull ache form under his eyes, but he didn’t want to lose it in front of his student, “We’re on the verge of war with the Elmekian Empire. Do you realize what that means? More deaths. Which means more grudges. And to say that an insult will be worth those lives? I don’t think so. Someone has to say it’s enough.”

“You fight though. You’ve killed.” Owen persisted.

“I fight. I’m good at fighting. And I don’t kill unless I have to.” Gourry smiled wryly, “That was what drew me to Lina. Wars waged between humans are often waged for petty reasons, and there’s little that is noble about them. But fighting Mazoku is another thing entirety. They want to end our existence and will stop at nothing to do it, and there is nothing more noble than fighting to live. A Mazoku is not a human, and different rules apply. If there’s one thing I want you to understand when you leave here, it is that you should be careful to avoid violence with other humans when you can. It’s a last resort, not a first one.”

“The world doesn’t work that way, though. The world is hard. People will take advantage of you if they smell weakness.” Owen countered.

“Since when is taking the high road a weakness?” Gourry asked with a shrug, and before Owen could open his mouth again he worked to end the conversation that was taking so much out of him, “Look, when it is necessary to take lives is something good people can disagree on. Duke Zelgadis and I have had our differences here, and Zel was probably right. You can ask him about it. Still, he would agree that it’s not worth starting a war over words. Anyway, you’d better get on to lunch. And my wife is waiting for me to bring hers up.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to starve a pregnant lady.” Owen said as he clapped Gourry on the back as they started walking to the manor, “How is she doing?”

“She’s starting to go stir crazy being bedbound all day and night, but other than that she’s doing well.”

* * *

When Gourry brought the lunch tray up to Lina’s room he was not too surprised to see that books and papers were strewn all over the bed. He just hoped it didn’t have anything to do with the Elmekian Empire. “Been busy?” he asked.

“Going out of my skin just sitting here all day,” Lina said as she barely looked up from what she was writing, “But I’ve been productive.”

“Oh?” he asked as he sat the tray on the table by the bed and took his plate. He didn’t feel like eating for once, but he also didn’t want to worry her by letting on. So he forced himself to take a bite.

She handed him some parchment with a list of names and initials on them, “I’ve been researching names.”

“I thought it was too early to worry about that.” He said bemusedly, even as he appreciated a beacon of hope to attach his thoughts to.

“I’m further along now!” Lina said as she grabbed her sandwich and took a bite, “And look, Amelia already has a name picked out and her pregnancy is going along just fine. Besides, a child has to live with their name their whole life. It requires a great deal of thought.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Gourry said as he finished his sandwich. “Though I still don’t see what you have against Dimmy.”

Lina snorted, “I’m wondering if It would be a good idea to name the child something that evokes the Lord of Nightmares, the one who shines like gold upon the Sea of Chaos. Something like Midas or Aurelia. Something that will herald just how important and powerful he is so no one will mess with him.”

“What do those names have to do with gold?” Gourry asked.

“Oh, but it would take longer than the rest of my bed rest to explain that!” Lina exclaimed, “And you’d just forget. I just worry it would make him stand out too much, and perhaps rather than protecting him it would make him a target. I mean, growing up gifted does make it hard to fit in, so perhaps something simple will be better to help him blend in more, like John or Mary? Or something in between?”

“What would be in between?” Gourry asked.

“You know, a name that’s familiar but not too common.”

“Like Dimmy?”

“No! Not Dimmy! I have never heard of that ridiculous name before you brought it up!” Lina yelled.

“I don’t know, it just seems that if a name is familiar but not too common that would mean it’s a name no one likes.”

“Some names are just more popular in some areas than others! Give them a far shot.” Lina countered.

“Well, what would be an example?”

“Something like Chuck, or Blanche!”

“Chuck?” Gourry repeated. “You prefer Chuck over Dimmy?”

“I guess we’ll scratch that one off the list.” Lina said as she crossed it out.

“Maybe we should see what it looks like when it’s born.” He said as he grabbed an apple, “I mean Aurelia would be good for a blonde but not so much for a brunette.”

“That’s actually a good point.” Lina said excitedly. “Maybe I should categorize this by hair and eye color and facial features? Aurelia or Blanche for a blonde, Abigail for a redhead, Mary or Sophia for a brunette. Maybe even personality traits. We don’t have to name him right away, we can wait a few days and see what he is like.”

Gourry looked at her and cocked an eyebrow before he took another bite of his apple, “You really are bored, aren’t you?”

She sighed as she put a hand on her stomach, “Don’t get me started.”

He reached out and grabbed her hand, “It’s been a hard few days.”

She looked at him, “For you too. Do you want to talk about it?”

Given that he didn’t want to worry her with it and the fact that he was doing everything he could to not think about it, he said, “I actually do like hearing your thoughts about what to name him. Much more pleasant to think about.”

He squeezed her hand and leaned forward to kiss her. He then touched his finger to the tip of her nose, “No fair taking my dessert while I’m kissing you.”

“Not my fault you were distracted.” Lina said as she took a bite of the chocolate pudding, and then she turned more somber, “Or perhaps we should honor fallen comrades?”

“Like Luke and Milina, or Jade and Maius?” he asked. 

“Now that I think of it, I guess we would have to have a lot of kids to honor all of them. I’m not sure if I could bear it if I named my son Luke and then had a dream where Jade asked me why he wasn’t honored.”

“What are these initials?” Gourry asked he looked at the paper.

“Oh,” Lina said, “You don’t know how many horrible initials I would notice in hotel registries. There should be a law, if your last name begins with ‘S’ then you should not bestow your child with a name that begins with ‘B.’”

“Huh?” Gourry asked.

“B.S.!” Lina exclaimed, “Can’t you imagine the teasing someone with those initials would get? Or P.E.?”

“How many bad combinations are you going to get with ‘I?’” He asked.

“Not sure, but you can’t be too careful! I don’t want him to curse our names every time he signs a hotel registry!”

Someone knocked, “Come in.” Lina said. 

They were surprised to see Luna, who carried a basket of baked goods in her arms as she said as she walked up to hug her sister, “Oh Lina. How are you feeling?”

Lina looked confused, “Fine, really. Just one more day and I’m off bed rest.”

“If you need more time…”

“I’m kind of itching to get active again, you know?” Lina said.

“We don’t want you to overdo it…”

“This doesn’t make me weak.” Lina snapped. “Sylphiel said I could take down a Mazoku still once she clears me.”

“Don’t let your pride get in the way of doing what is best for your baby.”

“What did you say?” Lina asked.

“Are those cookies fresh?” Gourry cut in.

“Yes, have some.” Luna said as she pulled them out and started distributing them, even as Lina continued to glare at her.

“How are the boys doing?” Gourry asked.

“Fine, they’re downstairs with my folks.” Luna said, “I am sorry to hear about your mother.”

That was a topic Gourry did not want to discuss, “Thanks.” 

“How are things looking in Elmekia?” Luna asked.

Gourry was grateful that Lina took over, and wished that he could slip out in case he lost his composure, “The Eternal Queen spoke with Gregory using a vision spell. He’s convinced Gourry killed her, and he’s threatening war if we don’t send Gourry to Elmekia to stand trial. Same old spiel.”

Gourry felt his heart tighten as Lina continued, “The Eternal Queen is holding firm. She figures that due to Mazoku influence war with the Elmekian Empire and the Kingdom of Dils is likely inevitable. It just is unfortunate that this is the catalyst.”

“But there’s been no declaration of war?” Luna asked.

“No. Gregory gave a time frame. Four weeks.” Lina said as she ate the cookie, and then she noticed Luna’s expression. “What is it?”

“There are rumors of attacks on the edge of the border of the Elmekian Empire and the Desert of Destruction.” Luna said.

“Attacks?” Lina repeated.

“Whole villages have been destroyed. No survivors. And the carnage was worse than seen during the demon uprisings.” Luna explained. “Gregory may be facing a war on two fronts.”

“I’m not sure if that’s good news or not.” Lina said, “Though if whatever is going on in the Desert of Destruction keeps him so occupied that he forgets Gourry…”

“I wouldn’t be on it,” Gourry said, “Besides, if the Mazoku are as deep in the Elmekian Empire as we suspect, then they could probably help Gregory with whatever is going on there.”

Lina sighed, “I hate it when you make a good point.”

“Something will work out.” Luna said, “I brought a Knight to escort Ambassador Gelo to Dils and out of our borders. War will likely follow.”

“Speaking of fighting a war on two fronts.” Lina said, “Hey, whatever is attacking the Elmekian border hasn’t hit us, has it?”

“Strangely, no.” Luna said, “It’s stays to the south.”

“Well, then we won’t have to worry about that headache.” Lina mused. “I do have a question for you, though. Honor’s cat, Nimitz. Any idea how that cat got to be so smart?”

Relief washed through Gourry as they stopped talking about the Elmekian Empire as Luna took a cookie and ate it with a sigh, “Some mysteries in this universe will forever confound us.” Then she glanced at the paper with the names on it, “Midas and Aurelia? That would be fitting. Blanche, though? Really, Lina, there’s a reason no one names their kid Blanche!”

“Who asked you!?” Lina screamed.

* * *

When Gourry left Lina to go downstairs to get dinner and found himself in an empty hallway, he felt the control he had been able to exert earlier in the day start to wane. Before he could think about ducking someplace where he could compose himself, though, Han came out into the hallway and glanced at him. “It’s been awhile since we’ve been fishing. We’re going tonight after dinner.”

Gourry managed to nod as he wondered if his distress was that obvious before he took a calming breath. And so, after a quick dinner with Lina, he found himself at a lake, close to Maninstit but far enough away to give them some privacy, with his father-in-law.

“How are you doing?” Han asked Gourry as he threw his fishing line into the water. 

“I’m okay.” Gourry said mechanically as he selected some bait.

“Are you?”

Gourry sighed. “It’s been hard. But I’m pushing forward. Resisting the urge to run and offer my head to Gregory.”

Han looked at him severely, “You’ve got a kid on the way! No way you can do that, especially when you’re innocent.”

“I know that. Still, my guilt or innocence isn’t going to matter much when lives are on the line.”

“It matters if we sacrifice innocent people to avoid a war.” Han said, “You and Lina have been fighting Mazoku on your own for so long now, and unfortunately larger stakes are tied to it now. They’re tapping in on human’s desire for self-destruction. After all you’ve done now that the stakes are higher do you really want to give up?”

“It’s not that I want to give up.” Gourry said as he threw his line in, “It’s that I ran away from my family for a reason. To stop the cycle of violence, of blood spilling blood. While I don’t like it, I can live with people believing I would kill my own mother. I know she was a horrible person, but she still gave me life and it hurts that so many people will believe that of me. What bothers me more is that I don’t want my children around these familial battles or to have to confront those choices. And here I am. Facing war with my family, and it’s about to touch a new generation. If turning myself into Gregory can stop that, then maybe it would be worth it.”

Han put a hand on his shoulder, “Once you’re dead you lose your ability to influence anything. If you really believe you would have more power to avert a war dead than alive then you really are as stupid as Lina claims you are.”

“How do I stop this, then?” Gourry asked, “If Gregory is set on war…”

“Then you turning yourself in won’t deter him.” Han snapped as his line went taunt. He pulled it in and scowled, “Who throws boots into a lake anyway?”

As he took the footwear off Gourry still couldn’t help but think that the situation was helpless. He silently berated himself for being stupid enough to think he could get away from his family, that they somehow wouldn’t find a way back into his life. That he could actually raise a child in a happy family that wasn’t spilling each other’s blood, “So I guess I’m just going to have to raise my child with this. And I’m just going to have to accept it.”

Gourry felt his heart grow heavy as his eyes welled up. Han sighed, “Things change, in ways we can’t predict. When we got pregnant with Luna business was booming and we thought we’d be able to buy a larger store soon. But then some serious competitors sprang up, and we found ourselves struggling to put food on the table. Things had recovered by the time we had Lina, but then paying for her education about broke us. And back when our fortunes were reversed when Luna was an infant, I’d wondered why we’d had her if we were going to watch her starve and be able to provide so poorly for her. But things turned out better than I feared they would, and there was also so much joy. And no matter what happens, nothing can take the happy memories away.”

They were silent for a moment before Han continued, “And the important thing is that you’re there to teach your child right from wrong and how to cope with life’s miseries as well as its joys.”

Gourry managed to smile a little, “I guess Lina would never forgive me if I wasn’t.”

“She’s not the only one!” Han said, “It may be hard to see now, but it will be alright. So no more talk about turning yourself in. You’re not impressing anyone.”

“I’ll remember that.” Gourry said.

“I’ll etch it into your dense brain if I have to!”

* * *

Gourry still felt miserable, but not as despairing as he had been by the time that he had come home with Han. While it was getting late, the kids were still up and running amok. He spied Jean-Luc and Indy walking swiftly through the hallway, holding a large bag while wearing mischievous grins as they did so. “Hey,” Gourry said as he stopped them, “What’s this?”

“We’ve been digging on the grounds,” Indy said as he opened the bag and revealed some old, corroded swords, “We found these! How old do you think they are?”

“I don’t know much about Zeferian swords and their history.” Gourry admitted as an idea dawned on him.

Han, meanwhile, said, “Old, those swords are old.”

“Yeah, but one hundred years old? Two hundred? A thousand?” Indy asked.

“Who cares?” Han said, “They’re rusted and of no use to anyone.”

“We do! This is our history.” Jean-Luc said, “So we’re off to the library to see if we can date them more precisely.”

“One moment, Jean-Luc.” Gourry said.

“What? We won’t be up too late.”

“Do you still have that contact in the Elmekian Empire?” Gourry asked.

“Yes.”

“Can you talk to him and ask about the situation on the border of the Elmekian Empire and the Desert of Destruction?”

“Sure.” Jean-Luc said, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“No, but thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because name stuff gets so sensitive, my husband and I did the familiar but not too common zone with our kids and I had an uncle named Chuck and Blanche is a name that intrigues me. I do strongly urge all expectant parents to see what their kids’ initials will spell, though. Rosters in places I’ve worked at contained initials and there would be some doozies. Especially if people included their middle initial.


	47. Chapter 47

“Everything looks good.” Sylphiel said as she closed her bag, “You are now free to go about your regular routine.”

“Thank goodness,” Lina said as she practically jumped off the bed. “Oh, I am taking a long walk after breakfast! My legs are so sore from doing nothing.”

“Just don’t over do it.” Gourry cautioned.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed.” Sylphiel said.

“Hey,” Lina said as she walked over to her, “I don’t know how we can every repay…”

Sylphiel waved her away, “I was happy I could help.”

“Look, I know this is a difficult conversation. I mean it couldn’t have been easy for you, and I’m pretty sure if I’d been in your shoes I would have been a lot meaner.”

Sylphiel blushed as she opened her mouth to protest, but Lina quickly put a bottle into her hands and said, “Take this.”

Sylphiel’s eyes widened. “Is this an adellian potion?”

“You should be able to sell it for some good cash, I mean really good cash. Use it towards rebuilding Sairaag, or whatever you want to do.” Lina said.

“I am. But I can’t accept this.”

“You can. Our baby is priceless to us, so this seems like pocket change really.” Lina said.

“It’s rare that Lina is this generous with her money,” Gourry said, “So just take it.”

Sylphiel blinked her eyes rapidly, “I can’t begin to tell you how much this helps me.” 

“Just put it to good use.” Lina said.

Sylphiel smiled a little as she wiped her eyes, “I will. Thank you.”

“Will you be leaving with the other ambassadors after breakfast?” Lina asked.

“Yes,” Sylphiel said, “It is quite a long trip back to Lyzeille and I am eager to get back. Especially now that I have this, as well as some help that Princess Amelia offered. I have a feeling that this time next year things will be very different.”

Lina put a hand on her stomach. All of them were going through such massive changes! She and Gourry would have a small baby this time next year, and so would Zel and Amelia. And Sylphiel could be breaking ground on Sairaag. “Let us know how it goes. And if you ever need any help, feel free to contact us. We will offer whatever assistance we can. Like I said, our baby is priceless and to be honest I don’t feel that we can ever repay you.”

Sylphiel grabbed her hands, “If it hadn’t been for you the world would have been destroyed, several times earlier. Everyone here owes their existence to you. This was only a small way I could repay you.”

Lina was a bit taken aback, but managed to squeeze her hands, “Take care, Sylphiel.”

“You, too. Let me know when your little one arrives. Safe journey.”

“We will. Safe journey.”

“Sir Gourry.” Sylphiel said as she nodded.

Gourry nodded in acknowledgement as she turned to leave. Lina sighed as the door shut behind her, “That wasn’t too awkward this time. I guess we’re figuring it out like the mature, responsible adults that we are.”

“You’re a mature responsible adult?” Gourry asked.

“Anyway,” Lina said as she opened her chest of drawers and started rummaging through her clothes, “I hope her luck turns.”

“Huh?” Gourry asked.

“Amelia was telling me about how she’s been having a hard time of it with rebuilding Sairaag and all.” Lina said. “I hope it takes off. And that she finds the man of her dreams soon.”

“What? Worried that I’ll run off with her?”

“Hardly,” Lina said disdainfully as she grabbed a shirt. Given that everyone at Maninstit knew she was pregnant, there was no use hiding the bump anymore, “But I don’t like feeling guilty for marrying you. Especially when we didn’t do anything wrong.”

He wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to kiss the crown of her head, “It will be nice for things to go back to normal. I mean I am glad she was here, but it does get uncomfortable.”

Lina smiled a little, and then wondered out loud, “I wonder what we’re having for breakfast? I am so hungry!”

Lina did feel a bit self-conscious as they stepped out of her room and walked towards the stairs. Most of the clothes she had were tailored to minimize her bump so even though she wasn’t deliberately hiding it now she didn’t think anyone would notice unless they were looking. And now that the cat was out of the bag, everyone would be looking. The sounds of students milling about downstairs grew louder as they walked down them, and soon one of the students shrieked, “She’s back! Dame Lina is back!”

It seemed as though everyone in the foyer started talking at once as they surrounded her, asking her how she was doing. “Okay, okay, back off and give me some space!” Lina said, though she was smiling and good natured, “I’m doing perfectly fine, I’m ready to get back to work, and I’m strong enough to kick any ass that needs kicking.”

A few people laughed as Maeve said, “You look so pretty!”

Lina blushed a little, “Thank you.”

“See, I told you her boobs had gotten bigger.” She heard Adora whisper to Mara Jade.

Lina yelled. “Yours wouldn’t be the first ass I need to kick, would it Adora?”

“Sorry, miss.” Adora said sheepishly.

“Sir Gourry, Dame Lina,” Jean-Luc said as he broke through the crowds. “Good morning. It is good to see you out and about again.”

“Thank you.” Lina said, and then was surprised as Jean-Luc turned to address Gourry.

“I did as you asked, and I got a strange request.” Jean-Luc said.

Lina looked at Gourry questioningly as he asked, “Oh?”

“Well, my uncle relayed a message from the Duchess Gertude that she would like to speak with her brother about something called Garm.”

Gourry paled a little as Jean-Luc continued, “Would you be able to meet tonight at eight?”

“Yes.” Gourry said.

“I’ll let him know.” Jean-Luc said as he ran off.

Before Lina could ask Gourry a question, Pippi ran up and squealed, “Congrats! You look so cute!”

“Um, thanks.” Lina said as she touched her belly shyly. This was definitely going to take some getting used to!

Pippi reached out, “Can I touch it?”

“No.” Lina said as she put her arms around her belly protectively, and then she sighed as she saw the look on Pippi’s face, “Ask Amelia, she likes it. Now go on to breakfast. All of you! Go! I’ll see you in class this afternoon!” 

The children dispersed, and Lina and Gourry continued towards the dining room. “What’s this about?”

“I asked Jean-Luc to check with his uncle to see about the attacks in the Elmekian Empire.”

“Wow, I’m impressed.” Lina said. “Let me guess. Duchess Gertrude is a relative?”

“A sister.” Gourry said.

“Please tell me she’s nothing like your mother.”

Gourry sighed as they entered the breakfast room, “She was a few years younger than me, and I left when I was seventeen. I really can’t say much about what she’s like or how marriage has changed her.”

“So this could either be good or bad.” Lina said.

“With my folks, always brace yourself for bad.” Gourry said.

* * *

“Starting in two weeks we will conduct a series of Catch the Flag games.” Gourry told the assembled kids as they started to murmur excitedly. “You will play for points, and at the end of the season the team with the most points will win a trophy. There will be some twists, though.”

Everyone went silent to listen as Gourry said, “At some point in the game, a rock golem will defend the flag. It will be fully under one of the sorcerer’s control, and a certain level of skill will be required to defeat it. I’ve attached sheets for rules that we have worked out.”

There was a rustling of paper as everyone started to read them. The rock golem had been Zel’s idea, and a way to rig the game so that players would be forced to make a strategic retreat as at least two people would be necessary to defeat him. Gourry had thought he’d feel more excited than he did as he watched them, but the truth was he was so worried about what was happening in the Elmekian Empire that his feelings were rather muted. 

Eventually the kids started chatting excitedly, and Han said, “I think this will be fun. Add some competition, give us some non-life threatening excitement to think about.”

Gourry nodded, and he looked towards the manor and saw that the ambassadors were leaving, “It will also be a relief to have all of these official types gone.”

“And the Eternal Queen is happy.” Han said. “She believes we were successful.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

Han clasped him on the shoulder, “Keep your eyes open, and believe it will be okay. Now, let’s start class.”

* * *

At eight, Lina met with Gourry, the Eternal Queen, Luna and Amelia to talk with Gourry’s sister. Jean-Luc explained that Getrude’s own sorcerer would use a vision spell to project her image to them. When Getrude appeared, promptly at eight, Lina had to admit that she was a bit off guard. Lina had been expecting another blonde-haired blue-eyed beauty, but it seemed as though Gertrude was the odd one out. Not that she wasn’t beautiful. That definitely seemed to run in his family. And in this case, Gertrude was an auburn-haired green-eyed beauty. “Gourry.” She said commandingly, but there was an undercurrent in her voice that Lina couldn’t quite identify.

“Trudy.” Gourry replied.

Gertude looked him over, “Did you kill our mother?”

“No,” Gourry said, “And there’s several ambassadors from other kingdoms who will swear that they saw me at home at the time she was murdered.”

Gertrude smiled mirthlessly, “A pity. There were many times I wanted to kill her.”

Lina wasn’t sure if she was attempting to manipulate Gourry into incriminating himself or if she was serious. When Gourry opened his mouth she feared he would say something stupid. Instead he said, “I never wanted her dead. Banished to the far ends of the earth or reformed, but never dead.”

“You were always the noble one.” Gertrude said with the fire of barely concealed rage within her voice, “Greg knows that. But the hounds are beckoning for war, and he’s going to get us all destroyed with it!”

“So you don’t approve of Gregory’s plan?” Lina said, surprised at her vehemence.

“Damned if I was going to get involved, to my own folly. I know better now. Unfortunately it took some losses to wake me up to that.”

“What happened?” Lina asked.

Gertrude was silent for a moment, “Last week I was visiting a property close to the Desert of Destruction. We kept hearing rumors about a monster called Garm, but we just thought it was a silly legend. I now know better. We were attacked and I barely got away with my life! My best friend didn’t.” Gertrude said as she started to tear up, “I’ve seen what this thing can do! I went to Gregory and begged him to send troops to kill it, but he got it into his head that he needs to capture it and release it upon Zeferia.”

“What?” Everyone in the room exclaimed.

“I’m no Mazoku slayer, but I know that that beast will not be captured. It will die before it’s captured, and it will take a lot of people with him. Swords have no effect on him, and not even the sorcerer I had with me was able to do much. Granted, he wasn’t very talented. Still. Gregory is a fool to try and I want it destroyed because it killed my friend!” Gertrude said, “And I can tell you there are a host of other Elmekians who are terrified of Garm.”

Lina turned to look at the Eternal Queen who said diplomatically. “We are sorry to hear about your loss and the tragedies that you have endured.”

“That means nothing to me if those are just words.” Gertrude said.

“We have many talented people who can defeat this creature. We would be willing to send one to the border, regardless of what you can promise us in return.” The Eternal Queen said.

“The Dukedom of Arapi is the largest in this country.” Gertude explained, “My husband and I are prepared to refuse to give Gregory the troops he needs for a war with Zeferia if you destroy Garm and give me his head. I want to mount it on my wall.”

_Damn! Well, Gourry’s benevolence definitely seems out of character for this family._ Lina thought as she cradled her stomach and wondered what their child would be like.

“Are you prepared to sign a treaty to that affect?” The Eternal Queen asked.

“I already have one drawn up.” Gertrude said as she held up a scroll.

Lina felt her heart pound in her chest as the Eternal Queen nodded as she read it, “Well then. I guess we should prepared our strongest knights. Dame Lina, do you have any questions?”

“Tell me more about Garm.” Lina said.

Gertrude ran a hand through her hair, “For all its fierceness it wasn’t big.”

“Ah, sounds like Lina.” Gourry said.

“Can it.” Lina snapped.

Gertrude continued, “It was strong enough to rip doors off their hinges and nothing that we hit it with deterred it. It just kept going like it didn’t care.”

“What is it exactly, though?” Lina asked.

“It might be a chimera. Black fur, walks on four legs like a dog and has a face like a weasel. It looks like a mere animal, but its eyes glow red. There was something mystical about it. Swords just bounce off his skin as though they were rubber. It claws that can rip a man into three pieces.” Gertrude shuddered, “And I know this is going to sound crazy, but when Garm would open his mouth, people would just disintegrate into dust, as though he was releasing an invisible energy at them.”

“I’ve seen some chimeras,” Lina said, “Usually it’s obvious that they’re blended with a different creature.”

“You would know better than me. A strange energy swirled around him, like a thin white cloud on the desert.”

“Like a miasma?” Lina said.

“That sounds like a better descriptor than anything I’ve been able to come up with.” Gertrude said.

Lina exhaled, and Gourry asked, “Do you have an idea what it is?”

“Hard to say for sure.” Lina said, “But it’s survived in the Desert of Destruction for who knows how long, and that place is rather hostile to life. What if it was just a regular animal that somehow absorbed the vileness of its habitat and became a monster?”

“Remember the stories Mom used to read to us.” Luna said.

Lina nodded as she recalled the stories Leia would read on rainy nights as Gourry said, “What, you mean like when the Miasma Forest was created?”

“Very astute, Gourry,” Lina said, “I guess you were paying attention when you were given the grand tour of Sairaag.”

“I don’t follow.” Getrude said.

“When Zanaffar was slain in Sairaag, by none other than your notable ancestor, it is said that it bled so profusely that it flooded the nearby forest. Even when the blood receded, a miasma persisted. Animals went wild and started attacking the city. There are lots of stories of brave magic users who defeated them. What if something similar happened with Garm, but until recently he was trapped on the other side of the barrier, and now that it’s gone, he’s been attacking cities on the border?”

“So that means you have an idea about how to kill it.” Gertrude said.

Lina nodded, “And the means.”

“Then we have a deal. I get Garm’s head, and I stop Gregory from starting a war with Zeferia.”

“I will have my aide come and transcribe the paper you have shown me, and then I will sign it and witness your signature from your end.” The Eternal Queen said as she rang for Aliciane.

* * *

After the treaty was signed and the spell ended, everyone looked at Gourry. “Do you think she was sincere?”

“Yes. But I also think she’s an opportunist. She’ll ally with us when it suits her interests and stab us in the back as soon as it no longer does.” Gourry explained.

“But do you think it’s worth it to send someone to kill Garm?” The Eternal Queen asked.

“Well, even if we are nearly at war with the Elmekian Empire, the everyday people living in it, they don’t have any control over what Gregory does, and they’re the ones who are going to suffer the most for it. They just want to live their lives. It doesn’t feel right turning our back on them.”

“And regardless of whether or not Duchess Getrude’s offer is genuine, if we help the Elmekians it may influence Emperor Gregory in a good way, and it would be harder for him to justify going to war with you.” Amelia said.

“I agree.” The Eternal Queen said, “And I believe that this may be a good time to highlight the merits of this school.”

Lina sat up straighter, “You mean send a student down, and not a Ceiphied Knight?”

“Yes.” The Eternal Queen replied.

“But they’re still kids.” Gourry said. “They’re still learning. They haven’t even completed their first year here.”

“Several have turned fourteen since the starting here. Lina was thirteen when she left home.” The Eternal Queen pointed out.

“And several have already taken down demons, back when Shabranigdu was revived. Nerys. Clark. Ripley.” Luna added.

“There’s a difference in what happens when someone attacks your village versus sending kids out into a world they might not be prepared for.” Gourry said as Lina bit her lip.

“You knew when you took this assignment that we expected results. I have put a lot of money into this. Showing my people that we avoided the financial burden of a war, in addition to saving lives, will quiet the voices of those who want to shut this project down.” The Eternal Queen explained severely, “Find someone who is ready. We need a victory.”

Lina felt a sense of unease creep through her. On the one hand she had left home when she was young. But she had done it for the joy of it. There was no pressure on her to take down a monster and avert a war. And worse, she knew what it was like to live with the skeletons of fighting such battles. Still. “I guess I knew this was coming. With respect, I think it would be better if we sent two students down. So that they have someone to keep their back, and they can contact us with the Vision spell if need be. We can have a sorcerer and swordsperson combo, I think. Gourry?”

“I guess that makes me marginally more comfortable with it.” He eventually said. After all, what choice did they have?

“Good,” The Eternal Queen said in a clipped fashion, “So, who should we send down?”

Lina thought for a moment, “We need someone strong with Shamanist and White magic, given Garm’s likely nature. Nerys. She’s a strong magic user and she has experience taking down demons. She’s also street smart in addition to book smart. She was ready to face the world the moment she stepped through these doors. Just for that reason alone she’s the first person I’d recommend.”

“I can’t argue there.” Gourry said.

“Me neither.” Amelia added. “Now for the second one.”

“Well,” Lina said, “We need someone good with a sword, who has some experience channeling willpower into it. Cuchulain? Gomez? They’re a bit younger than I would like, though.”

Gourry thought for a moment, “Owen. He even has a magic sword as part of his inheritance. Granted I worry about his maturity, even though he is our oldest student. I still think he’d be the best choice.”

“I’m not sure that I trust him for something this big. He’s a nobleman, never set foot into the real world.” Lina countered.

“I think he needs someone to show that they trust him and a big goal to live up to.” Gourry said, “People have been giving him things all his life, he’s never had to work for anything. He needs a challenge.”

“And Nerys would be the perfect person to keep him in line. All of the boys are scared of her.” Amelia said.

Lina chuckled a little, “Well, if you’re that sure, I think we have our duo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I discovered Garm in the newly translated interviews with Hajime Kanzaka, and was fascinated by what very little information there was about him. So I’m very happy to be able to include him here :-)


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be glurge. There will be a little bit of Zel/Amelia glurge and a lot of Lina/Gourry glurge. Sorry to the people who like plot and not glurge. You have been warned. And sorry I've not put as much Zel/Amelia stuff in here as I originally thought I would. And ugh, this chapter took awhile, especially considering how short it is. I was traveling last weekend, and weekends are when I do the bulk of my writing.

The parlor was bathed in the radiant glow of Lina’s light spell as she explained to her parents and Zelgadis about the Eternal Queen’s plan to avoid a war with the Elmekian Empire. Occasionally Gourry, Amelia or Luna would interrupt to add a point, and Lina would wipe her sweaty forehead as she wished that the parlor got more of a draft. She was sitting right by the open window and was still burning up! 

“Damn,” Han swore after Lina finished talking, “I see the need for expediency, but, I mean, I haven’t even done my first field camp with them. That’s not for a few more weeks! I wanted them to have a bit more practical experience under their belt before we turned them loose in the world.”

Lina nodded as she privately wished that she hadn’t have gotten pregnant. Then she could trail her students and help ease them into the transition. “We’re not happy about it either. But what could I say? The Eternal Queen had made up her mind.”

“The nobles are starting to get restless.” Luna explained, “Sure, they sit on their asses all day and get rich off the labor of the peasants tilling in their fields, but they see a commoner get all of this land and money and they want to know how it benefits them. This is a strategic move from multiple angles, and it shows how much confidence she has in this project and your students. Not to mention you as their teacher.”

“I’m happy that the Eternal Queen has confidence in us and our students, but that’s not the issue.” Lina said, “I don’t like the idea of sending children who aren’t fully trained into battle with powerful magical beings.”

“Owen and Nerys are both older than you were…”

“I chose to leave!” Lina shot back. “You may have planted the idea, but I still made the decision. You didn’t make me.”

“I’m sure Owen and Nerys would like a chance at some prestige.” Luna replied, “And we wouldn’t want anyone to think that you wouldn’t want to share the baton.”

Lina reddened as she straightened, “What the hell are you implying by that!?”

“Oh, knock it off before you two destroy another house!” Leia said.

“She…” Lina started, and then she gulped when she saw the look that her mother shot at her, and settled for folding her arms under her breasts petulantly.

“Luna, look,” Leia said once her daughters were quiet, “They have some valid concerns about sending these children off. I know Lina was young when we let her leave, and I know we let you two travel together at an even younger age, but we’d taken you both on so many travels with us we knew you could handle your own. And Luna, you remember, though now that I think of it, Lina, look, I don’t want you to get mad, but Luna, you remember that your father did covertly check in on Lina at times. Who is going to be watching over these kids?”

“What!?” Lina yelled.

“Do you really think it was a coincidence that the three of us were in the same general area when you met Gourry?” Han asked.

Lina blushed a little, “Um, you don’t know much about my adventures with Naga, do you?”

“No comment.”

Lina groaned as she started fanning herself and her mother said, “Anyway, I’m thinking, perhaps we could have people check in on them?”

“Who could we send to check on them, though?” Gourry asked. “Most of us are needed here to keep the school running.”

Lina thought for a moment. “There were the Ceiphied Knights that Sis sent to the border during our honeymoon. Sis?”

“I’ll send them orders.” Luna said, “Watch. Assist. Let the kids have the glory.”

“That’s a start, we need more though. Hey Gourry, you were trained by the Gungeniel Knights. Could some of them help?”

Lina was never sure how he would react to a door opening on his past. That his face remained impassive gave her few clues as to how he felt about it. After a moment’s thought he said, “I have some people I could try to contact.”

“There could even be benefits to working with people within Elmekia. It would build trust between your countries.” Amelia said.

“Somehow I don’t see how changing a few minds will cause the change we need to see.” Zelgadis countered.

“Always a storm cloud.” Amelia said as she held his hand.

“What, are you his silver lining?” Lina asked.

Zel smiled affectionately as he wrapped his wife in a sideways embrace and planted a kiss on the crown of her head, “You could say that.”

Amelia smiled sappily at him as Lina shook her head while Gourry leaned over and started tracing his hand along her back. “Well, I feel a bit better about this. I mean we could put guides on their path, help them a bit.” He said.

“Right.” Lina said as she put her hands on her knees, “I guess now we have to break it to Owen and Nerys.”

“When are you going to do that?” Leia asked.

“In the morning.” Lina said, “I’m going to compile a dossier tonight with all of the information that they need.”

* * *

Lina was glad to see that Alona was still there and in her room turning down the bedsheets when she came in with Gourry. “If you could draw me a bath, but not too hot?” Lina asked.

“Yes, milady.” Alona said as she went off to the bathroom, and Lina sighed as she sank onto the couch and took off her shoes.

“You’ve been pretty hot.” Gourry commented.

“So is Amelia.” Lina said as she rubbed her belly with a smile, “Comes with the territory.”

“You’re feeling okay otherwise, though?”

“I’m fine!” Lina said as he sat beside her, “Sylphiel knew what she was doing. Not so much as a twinge of a cramp.”

“Good,” he said as he leaned forward to kiss her.

She pulled away and pressed her forehead to his. “What about you?”

“I’m not the one who is pregnant.” He said.

“Idiot. Come on. I know you and your mother weren’t close, but that has to hurt. And when you, the most noble man I know, are held responsible for her death…”

He put his hand over hers, “I’m good. You just focus on caring for you and Dimmy.”

“It’s not as if I have to concentrate to get him to grow or anything! And I’m not some weakling you have to shelter!” Lina snapped.

His face twitched, “Do I really seem like I’m struggling?”

“No, and that’s what worries me! It’s not normal.” Lina said.

He ran a hand through his hair, “Look, I’m not going to say that it hasn’t been hard. But I’ve been talking to your dad and he’s been helping me through it. He’s a man, he gets what It’s like. I mean there are things you just talk about with your mom or Amelia.”

“I guess I can understand that.” Lina said. “And I’m glad that you and Dad are getting along so well.”

He smiled a bit as he put his hand on her stomach, “Can we listen to the heart beat?”

“Sure.” Lina said as she cupped her hands and chanted the spell. Syphiel had somehow been able to figure out the position the baby was in and was able to put her hands on the best spot to hear it the first time, but Lina always felt as though she playing a game of hide and seek with the baby when she tried to do it. After a few moments of searching she finally found it, and the room filled with the sound of a rapid fluttering.

“It’s incredible to hear it.” He said with a smile.

Lina nodded, “And reassuring.”

“Have you felt him move yet?” he asked.

Lina shrugged, “I’m not sure. I keep feeling something, a bit of a flutter, but I’m not sure if it’s movement or an active stomach? It still seems a bit early.”

“You can’t tell the difference an active stomach and a baby?” Gourry asked.

“It’s not as easy as you think!” Lina said, “It’s not like I’ve ever grown a baby before! How am I supposed to know what’s what?”

“Because you’re the smart one who tends to know what is what.”

She smiled as she squared her shoulders, “Damn right!”

They pulled each other in for a kiss. The sound of the heart beat vanished as Lina moved her hands to wrap her arms around him. When Alona walked in, Lina didn’t even bother to spring apart from him on the couch. By now she was starting to get used to being interrupted by the maid. She merely pulled away and calmly sat beside Gourry as Alona said, “Your bath is ready, milady.”

“Thanks,” Lina said, “Take it easy tonight.”

“Yes, milady. Goodnight.”

Lina waited until Alona had left before she looked at Gourry, “Care to join me?”

“Sure, I like the scenery in the bathroom.”

Lina chuckled a little as they stood up and he added, “I like it even better when you’re in the bath.”

She wrapped her arms around his, “Really? Even though I’m getting fat?”

He looked at her as though she was crazy as they walked through the door, “Seriously, you’re getting more beautiful every day! It’s driving me out of my mind really.”

She pushed him playfully, “You’d better stop. We still have another day before we can…”

He sighed as he pulled his shirt off, “One whole, long day.”

* * *

“Good morning,” Lina said as Gourry escorted Nerys and Owen into her office the next morning. “Take a seat.”

Nerys’ face remained impassive as she did, while Owen appeared nervous as he blurted out. “If this is about that fight…”

“Fight?” Lina repeated as she raised her eyebrow.

Nerys glared at Owen, “Idiot. Never give away information like that!”

“Well if you weren’t so…”

Lina rolled her eyes, “Look, whatever bad blood is between you, you’re going to have to move past it. We’re putting you on a mission together.”

“What!?” Owen and Nerys both exclaimed.

“There’s a monster terrorizing the border of the Elmekian Empire and the Desert of Destruction. We want you to destroy it. And deliver its head to Duchess Gertude of Arapi.”

“Who?” Nerys asked.

“All the information is here.” Lina said as she handed her the dossier. “There’s a lot riding on this. Complete this mission successfully, and you can avert a war with the Elmekian Empire.”

“And you expect me to do this with him?” Nerys asked as she pointed at Owen contemptuously. “He doesn’t even know when to keep his mouth shut!”

“That’s why you’re in charge.” Lina said as she folded her arms across her stomach.

Nerys smiled smugly as Owen exclaimed, “What!?”

“Nerys has more street smarts, and she’s killed a few demons. Therefore, Nerys is in charge.” Lina said as Gourry smiled a little. “Or would you rather that I find someone else to go in your place?”

Owen straightened a little, “I’m honored to be chosen and will see this mission through.”

In some ways Owen’s eagerness was a relief. Lina wasn’t sure what she would have done if either of them had protested the assignment. “You also won’t be completely on your own. We have contacts who will be keeping an eye on you. And we expect you to check in at sunset every day using a vision spell to update us on your progress and to receive guidance.” Lina explained as Owen started flipping through the dossier.

“When do we leave?” Nerys asked.

“Well, time is of the essence. After lunch. You are excused from morning classes to prepare yourselves.” Lina said.

Nerys nodded, and then glared at Owen, “Well, I guess we better get packed.”

* * *

For once, Lina and her staff, as well as the Eternal Queen, ate lunch with the students. By then word that Owen and Nerys had been selected to go on a critical mission had spread through the school and everyone was talking about it excitedly, with a mixture of feelings. And as Lina looked up to see Maeve charging towards them she had to stop herself from rolling her eyes.

“Lady Lina,” Maeve said as she came up to them, “Did I really do that poorly when I went with you to the Elmekian Empire?”

“Huh?” Lina asked.

“I just need to know why they were chosen and not me. I’ve been on one mission. So I need to know, did I blow it?”

Lina shook her head, “I need to let each student here have their turn. You had the benefit of going on an excursion with Gourry and myself, something that no other student will have here for a while. You performed well enough, now it’s time to let someone else have their turn.”

“But…” Maeve began.

The Eternal Queen put a hand on her shoulder, “You have privileges here that other students didn’t. You will have another opportunity to prove yourself soon enough. But not today. Learn all that you can, and let the matter rest.”

Maeve shook her head and looked unconvinced as she walked away. “How is she doing?” the Eternal Queen asked.

“She’s top of the class.” Lina said.

“And emotionally?”

Lina smiled wryly, “It’s a tough age.”

“Milady,” Jeeves said, causing Lina to jumped a little in surprise as he handed her an envelope, “A letter.” 

“Thanks.” Lina said as she opened it, “Oh for…”

“What?” Gourry asked.

“Peter’s parents are writing again, wondering if the manor is cool enough for him and complaining about how he’s so sensitive to heat. And they want to visit to make sure he’s being fed enough and well cared for, yadda yadda yadda.”

“Well, I can understand being curious about this place.” Gourry said.

“It’s not curiosity! They’re so overprotective!” Lina said. “It’s a wonder they ever let him out of their sight!”

“Peter?” Luna asked with a chuckle, “That was a tough sell! Fortunately they have big dreams for him and this proved their grandiose ideas about how special he is so they went along with it. His mother did ask if she could room here. Needless to say the answer was no.”

“Are you going to let them visit?” Gourry asked.

“Well, I don’t see how I can stop them. Perhaps it will calm them down for a bit.” Lina decided as she polished off her dessert.

Shortly thereafter the Eternal Queen indicated that she was ready to talk, and Lina stood up, “Ladies and gentlemen!”

Gradually the talking subsided, “The Eternal Queen has an announcement.”

Lina sat down as her sovereign stood up, “Today is an important day in the history of this school. Trouble is brewing with our neighbors in the Elmekian Empire, trouble that could lead to war. Yet there is an opportunity for us to pursue peace. To achieve that end, we selected Owen Deathstalker and Nerys Kira to be our first students to be sent on their own mission. Mr. Deathstalker and Miss Kira, please stand up.”

Owen and Nerys stood up and the Eternal Queen led everyone in a round of applause as Owen looked impressed with himself while Nerys looked ready to flee out the door. After a few moments, the Eternal Queen indicated it was time that they sit back down as she made some concluding remarks about the vitality of this mission and bringing honor to their school and country before dismissing everyone.

Lina looked at Gourry, who nodded, and they stood up and walked to Owen and Nerys. Lina held back as several students came up to wish them well and exchange farewells. Once Ripley and Nerys had finished giving each other a hug, Lina said, “Let us see you out.” 

“Lady Lina,” Nerys said, “Do you have any advice for us?”

Lina smiled a little. “Never doubt for a moment that you can do this. You can and you will win. This world is better because you are in it, and though there may be times where it seems that dying heroically is the only solution, remember, if the plan requires your annihilation then your plan is bad. Fight to win, and you will.”

“Wow,” Owen said, “I never thought about that. Sir Gourry, do you have any advice to add?”

Gourry grasped Lina’s hand and squeezed it as they approached the door, “What she said.”

“Take care of each other.” Lina said.

“And stay on a noble path.” Gourry said as they walked outside.

“We will!” Owen said. “Bye! See you in a few weeks!”

“Don’t forget to check in tonight!” Lina yelled as they started to walk off.

Gourry wrapped his arm around his wife as they watched them walk away. “You know, I’m feeling pretty good about this all of the sudden. Somehow, it will all be alright. Maybe we really can avoid this war.” Gourry said.

Lina leaned her head against his chest, “Just like I keep telling you.”

“I guess I should get better at listening.”

“It’s about time you admitted...” Lina began, but stopped when Nerys started yelling.

“Oh don’t you even think about it, Deathstalker! Lady Lina put me in charge for a reason and if you can’t remember that I’ll beat your thick head with it until it sinks in or caves in!” 

Lina shook her head as Gourry said, “That’s it, we’re doomed.”

“Perhaps I spoke too soon.” Lina grumbled before she raised her voice, “At least get off the damn lawn before you two start having a go at each other!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know surnames come first for Bajorans, but since this is in the Slayersverse and Nerys is not Bajoran I decided it would be confusing to use the Bajoran format so I listed her name as Nerys Kira, which sounds weird, but will be less confusing to the people who aren't Trekkers :-)


	51. Chapter 51

Lina sighed with relief as the Eternal Queen left the carriage and walked into the palace. Luna looked at her disapprovingly as the driver started the carriage again, heading in the direction of Luna’s cottage. “You shouldn’t look so relieved.” Luna said.

 

“Hey, it’s hard to completely relax in one’s own home when you are hosting the sovereign of your country!” Lina said, “I’m looking forward to it just being me and Gourry again…well, and Zel and Amelia.” She added quickly as she glanced at her friends sitting across from her, “And our parents…and twenty or so kids.”

 

The twins started bouncing in their seats as they recognized the familiar streets of their neighborhood, eliciting grins of indulgence from Gourry and Amelia and annoyance from Zelgadis. “Now that I think of it, I guess I’d better box up the boys’ baby stuff and send it up to you.” Luna reflected.

 

“That’d be nice. Though, I thought you were going to have more.”

 

“These two are potty trained and sleep through the night.” Luna said, “And it struck me that I don’t want to go back.”

 

“Hey, looks like I’m a good influence on you!” Lina commented as the carriage pulled up to Luna’s cottage.

 

“Huh?” Luna asked.

 

“Well instead of dutifully doing Ceiphied and the Eternal Queens’ beckoning and spawning a ton of powerful children, you’re doing what you want to do and stopping at two! Way to go, Sis!”

 

Luna glared at her, and Lina found herself missing the bangs that used to shield her eyes. But soon the carriage stopped and the boys were clamoring to be let out to see their father. “Oh, hold your horses for one moment!” Luna snapped as she opened the door and her sons ran out. “You sure that you don’t want to come inside for some tea?”

 

“We’re good, but thanks.” Lina said.

 

“We’ve got shopping to do!” Amelia said chipperly.

 

“Enjoy then. And now that the Eternal Queen and I are gone, don’t mess things up!”

 

“I never do.” Lina said sweetly, “Bye!”

 

After Luna left, Lina practically sank bonelessly into the seat as the carriage headed for Main Street. “Ah, now I can really relax!”

 

Given that Lina had had to spend a few days on bedrest, when the Eternal Queen had asked them to accompany her back to Zefiel City she was happy for the opportunity to get out of Maninstit and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the town. She’d quickly made plans with Gourry, Zel and Amelia to go shopping and to see a comedy that would be playing that evening and to enjoy some downtime after all of the stress of the past month. And now that both the Eternal Queen and Luna were gone, the fun could begin!

 

They had just gotten out of the carriage when Lina learned that her popularity had not diminished in the time she had been away, as she had hoped it would. Soon she could hear a woman cry, “Look! It’s Lady Lina!”

 

And just like that they were surrounded by people congratulating her on her pregnancy. But that wasn’t the bad part. No, it was when an adolescent boy asked Gourry, “So, did you really off your own mom?” that Lina’s temper flared.

 

“Hey, unless you want to taste a Burst Rondo you’d better knock it off!” Lina yelled as she grabbed him by the collar, “The Eternal Queen herself witnessed Gourry miles away from the murder scene at the time it occurred, so unless you want to call our illustrious sovereign a liar then you better stop spreading those unfounded rumors! Now get out of our way before I start wrecking things!”

 

Lina let the kid go, and as she scampered away Amelia whispered, “Lina, this might not be the best way to prove his innocence.”

 

“Damned if I care.” Lina said as she grabbed Gourry’s hand and ducked into the first shop that she came upon.

 

Once inside Lina found herself facing a shelf of cute, folded baby garments. Amelia squealed with delight as Lina felt her face go flush. “Ah, Lady Lina! Princess Amelia! I was hoping you would stop by my humble store.” The shopkeeper, a middle aged woman who was knitting a garment said as she saw them. She then looked at the crowd clamoring outside and went to address it, “My store is closed to everyone else while Lady Lina and Princess Amelia shop. After they leave I will open the store again and make note of the items that they liked. I’m sure they will be quite trendy in a few months.”

 

 _How shrewd._ Lina thought approvingly as she started to look around. “Please, make yourself at home.” The owner said, as she took a step back and gave them some room to look around.

 

Lina paired off with Amelia as Gourry walked off with Zelgadis, “Thank you.” Amelia said as she picked out a garment, “Could you start a basket for me?”

 

“Of course, your highness.”

 

Lina tried to ignore the crowd pressed against the window watching their every move as Amelia kept grabbing garments left and right. While the outfits were cute, Lina couldn’t see using them for an actual real live baby! Eventually Amelia pulled out a garment embroidered with red hearts and cooed, “Isn’t it so cute!?”

 

“Well, yeah.” Lina said, “But as soon as you put it on the baby will throw up all over it, or poop all over it and ruin it. It just seems like such a waste.”

 

“That’s why you buy a ton of them!” Amelia said as she cradled it to her chest.

 

Lina looked at her, “Don’t you royals ever launder your clothes?”

 

“Why do that? The more we buy the more it benefits the clothes makers.” Amelia said.

 

“I don’t know.” Lina said as she looked at the small mountain of clothing that Amelia was buying, “At the rate you’re going the clothes makers won’t be able to keep up!”

 

“That’s so silly.” Amelia said as she put the garment on the top of the pile. “Aren’t you going to buy anything?”

 

“Well, Sis says she has a ton of hand-me-downs to give me. And then I think I’ll just wait and see what I get at the baby shower and then go shopping for whatever else I need.”

 

Amelia sighed as she grabbed a knitted outfit with little lambs on it and held it out to Lina, “You have to stop thinking like a peasant! You have plenty of money now to splurge on Little Dimmy.”

 

“Don’t you start with the Little Dimmy stuff!” Lina yelled as she took the garment without thinking about it.

 

Then Amelia squealed as her eyes set on a dress, “Ohh! Look at all of the frills and lace! I can’t leave without it!”

 

“What if you have a boy?” Lina asked.

 

Amelia shrugged, “Eventually there will be someone I can gift it to. But I don’t think I have to worry. Everything about this pregnancy screams GIRL to me!”

 

“I don’t know.” The shop owner said, “You’re looking too beautiful in my mind. Girls steal a woman’s beauty.”

 

“What sort of nonsense is that?” Amelia asked even as she patted her hair, and Lina felt a flare of jealousy about how Amelia didn’t even have to fish for a compliment. “Lina, aren’t you going to get one thing?”

 

“I don’t know,” Lina said, and then she wondered if she bought something if the clerk would be a bit more complimentary, “It just seems so wasteful when I already have good clothing lined up.”

 

“Wow, you really are having a hard time shaking your upbringing.” Amelia said as she started shifting through a box of baby bonnets, and Lina bit her lip.

 

“What’s wrong with reusing things?”

 

“A brand new baby should have brand new things!” Amelia said, “And this baby will be very important. He can’t go around in tattered old clothes.”

 

“Definitely not.” The shop owner said, and a bit guiltily Lina had thought about how she was helping them get away from the crowds. “And you will have to show him off, you’ll want to ensure he is dressed in the best clothes for that.”

 

Lina sighed, but she did have a point. Luna had said there would be a big ceremony for the baby, and somehow she was fairly sure there would be severe punishment if Lina brought the baby to it underdressed, “Well, do you have anything with gold trim?”

 

“Let me look, I’ll be right back.”

 

“So what does Zel think about you blowing all this money?” Lina asked, but then she looked across the room where Zelgadis had gathered a basket full of socks and shook her head, “Nevermind.”

 

“He’s really worried about her little feet getting cold.” Amelia said, “It’s rather cute.”

 

Suddenly, from the back of the store, Lina heard Gourry called, “Lina look!”

 

She turned to see him walking up to her holding out a blue knitted garment with jellyfish on it, “Isn’t it too cute?” he asked as he held it to his face as he wore a big, dopey grin.

 

Lina felt her heart melt as her face heated, “Um, right. Yes, yes, we’ll take it! And this as well.” She said as she held up the garment with the lambs.

 

* * *

 

 “Oh, that was a good show!” Amelia exclaimed as they piled into the carriage.

 

“Wasn’t it, though?” Lina asked, still giddy off the rush of having seats in a private balcony with an amazing view of the stage. Growing up if she’d want to see a show she could barely afford to pay to stand in the back of the auditorium to watch. “Oh, I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a while.”

 

“That chase scene at the end!” Zelgadis said as he wiped tears of mirth from his eyes.

 

“Not to interrupt, but where are we going?” the driver asked.

 

“Maninstit.” Lina said.

 

“But it’s rather late.” The driver pointed out. And that much was true.

 

“I told my parents I wouldn’t leave them alone with all those kids both days this weekend!” Lina said, “They deserve a day off as well. The sooner we get going, the sooner we’ll get there.”

 

“Right, milady.” The driver said as he started the carriage.

 

It was a moonless light, and Zelgadis chanted a light spell to fill the interior of the carriage with a warm glow as they traveled. Lina reflected on how badly they’d needed this breather as they talked amicably about the show as they left Zefiel City behind and entered the forest. Trees heavily lined each side of the road, but it was nothing too special to look at. In fact Lina would get uneasy if she did and would start thinking of all the things that could roam the forest at night, so she focused on the interior and the company she was with. They were getting close to Maninstit when Lina felt a chill in the air and thought it was strange. Given that it was summer and how hot she’d been since getting pregnant the only time she felt chills anymore was when…

 

Her instincts were screaming at her to look out the window even as her stomach started flipping. Nothing good ever came from not being able to see what was on the prowl, though, so she forced herself to look out the window. She sat up and moved closer as her eyes widened as she discerned what looked like two children, glowing white in the night, as they slowly walked by the side of the road. But before Lina could get a good look at them the carriage overtook them, leaving them behind on the road. “What the…?” Lina exclaimed.

 

“Did you see them, too?” Amelia asked as she turned in her seat to look behind them.

 

“I think.” Lina said.

 

“What?” Zelgadis asked.

 

“It’s strange but I think I saw a pair of children by the side of the road.” Amelia said.

 

“They aren’t from Maninstit?” Gourry asked as he craned over Lina to get a look out the window.

 

“I…” Amelia said, and then she paled.

 

Lina didn’t have to ask why. Gooseflesh erupted all over her skin as she saw the children racing at impossible speeds towards their carriage! Soon they had caught up to them and Lina got a good look as they peered into the carriage, their eyes black empty sockets. Their eerie laughter reverberated through the air as they suddenly raced ahead to overtake the driver.

 

A moment later Lina heard the driver scream and the horses whine. Gourry suddenly grabbed her as he called out, “Brace yourselves!”

 

The carriage swayed ominously, and Lina wedged herself between the wall and Gourry to give herself a measure of protection. Somehow the driver managed to stop the carriage without tipping it over. “You okay?” Gourry asked.

 

“Fine.” She said as she opened the door and climbed out, followed by the others.

 

They raced up to where the horses were as the driver ran in the opposite direction, screaming. Gourry grabbed him and shook him as he said firmly, “Get a grip on yourself!”

 

Meanwhile, everyone else’s attention was on the ghost children floating in the middle of the road with eager smiles on their faces. Lina was suddenly overcome with a memory of the vision she had seen when they first sealed the Sad Lady. Two children had been with the Sad Lady. It was hard to tell for sure, but Lina’s gut was telling her that these were her children!

 

“You two are with child.” One of the children said, her voice an otherworldly gurgle, as they stared at Lina and Amelia. “You can carry us home. Bring us into the world again. Give us new life.”

 

Lina’s hair stood on end as the children started to advance towards them and a green light started to shine in their black eye sockets. The summer air grew cold as the driver started crying and praying and Lina protectively put her hands around her stomach as Amelia started chanting beside her. Quickly Lina said, “But then you’ll never be with your mother again. And I know where she is.”

 

“Lina?” Zelgadis asked.

 

“The Sad Lady.” Lina said quietly.

 

“You know Boadicea, our mother?” one of the children said as they halted.

 

“Yes.” Amelia said quickly, as though an idea had just struck her, “We can reunite you if you ride in the carriage with us...with us, not within us.”

 

“Amelia!” Zelgadis cried, and Lina had to agree that the plan sounded insane.

 

“Trust me.” Amelia said, though whether she was talking to the children or Zelgadis was uncertain. “We can give you a ride home to see her.”

 

“You want to do what!?” the driver exclaimed.

 

“Oh buckle up.” Zelgadis said, “I’ll ride up front with you.”

 

“I can’t!” the driver said.

 

“Would you rather sit in the carriage with the ghosts? Or walk home in these woods at all alone at night?” Zelgadis asked.

 

“Fine, I’ll do it!” the driver said.

 

Zelgadis climbed up to the bench, and the driver joined him, shaking from head to toe. With a sense of unease Lina watched as the children floated into the carriage. She took a deep, bracing breath and then followed them in with Gourry and Amelia. _At least for the first time in ages I’m not hot!_ Lina thought as she wrapped her arms around herself as she started shivering.

 

“What happened to you?” Lina eventually asked.

 

“The other queen wanted our land and fought our mother the Chieftess for it. There was a battle and they took us from her and said as punishment for her insubordination we would never be reunited.” One of the children explained.

 

“What are your names?” Amelia asked.

 

“Iceni.” One said.

 

“Prasutagus.” The other said.

 

Lina checked to look out the window and with relief noted that Maninstit was coming into view. She wasn’t sure what Amelia’s plan was, but she wasn’t going to ask while the children were in earshot. Then she turned to ask the children a question and felt a jolt as she realized that they were gone! “What the…” Lina said.

 

“They just vanished!” Gourry yelled.

 

Amelia, meanwhile, smiled knowingly as though she was expecting this.

 

Lina grabbed her stomach, “They didn’t enter our bodies...!?”

 

“There’s a pool of blood, where they were sitting.” Gourry said.

 

Amelia nodded, “I cast a spell earlier and found that just like I’ve bound the Sad Lady to the old parlor, those children are bound to the forest outside of the border of Maninstit. So I knew that all we had to do was get to the property safely and they would go away on their own.”

 

“So someone cast that spell so that their ghosts would never meet the Sad Lady’s ghost?” Lina asked.

 

“Yes,” Amelia confirmed. “It’s rather tragic.”

 

“Wow.” Lina said as she suddenly felt disturbed, “It looks as though Queen Carliena was ruthless and heartless.”

 

“Is there any way we can help them?” Gourry asked.

 

“Well, this is good information for me to present to my White Magic group. It we reunite them then it could very well heal the wound and close the portal.” Amelia said. “I have a few ideas, well see if any of them can help. It would help if we had a personal item of theirs.”

 

“Indy and Jean-Luc have been digging around this place. What should they be looking for?” Lina asked.

 

“I’m not sure. What did the tribes who used to live here keep among their possessions?” Amelia asked as the carriage pulled up to the house.

 

Lina sighed as she exited the carriage, “Well, your guess is as good as mine.”

 

“Maybe Indy and Jean-Luc will have an idea.” Gourry suggested, and then they all stopped and shook their heads at the sight of the driver kneeling as his kissed the ground over and over again.

 

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”

 

Lina shook her head and considered that at least she was no longer freezing. Suddenly being hot didn’t seem too bad! But then the students guarding the door, Ace and Clark, ran up to her, “Lady Lina! Thank goodness you’re back!”

 

“Why? What happened?” Lina asked.

 

“It’s Indy and Jean-Luc.” Ace said, “They went exploring today and never came back. Your father is still out looking for them!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I was a pre-teen I had a dream that I was in the backseat of a car when we drove past a man walking by the road. A few minutes later the man transformed and flew past our car, looking rather evil as he did, and then the car crashed and I realized he was death personified or something. It rather freaked me out and stayed with me. As an adult I later found out that in Wisconsin and Minnesota there are stories of people being chased by a man who can run impossibly fast while they are driving and the details parallel the dream that I had so perfectly it’s surreal, except the man in those stories is more animal like running on four legs while in my dream he was more bird like. I’ve only been to Wisconsin once as an adult, long after I had the dream, and I’ve never been to Minnesota, so I don’t know how I could have picked up in folklore on places I’ve lived so far from. I did read a lot of ghost stories when I was a kid so it’s possible that there was a story like that in one of them and I forgot about it and later dreamt of it, but given how detailed my memory is and how I can still recite some of my favorite ghost stories that I’d read as a child, I think I’d remember if I had. I tend to think there are common elements that people find scary and it’s a lot of coincidence. So on the one hand there is a urban legend it is based off it, but I also dreamt it before I heard of that urban legend (I’m 90% sure of it), so I’ll take credit for the idea even though other people have had it, lol. Though if someone knows a Scariest Stories to Tell in the Dark or Fear Street novel with that in it, I will stand corrected! The latter part with the ghost children vanishing is a twist on the vanishing hitchhiker story, which is one of the oldest urban legends out there. Pretty much every place has a vanishing hitchhiker legend, so that is definitely NOT my idea.
> 
>  
> 
> Oh, Happy October! Halloween is coming up! Get ready for chills and thrills in honor of my favorite holiday!


	53. Chapter 53

“Thank goodness you’re home!” Leia said as she rushed over to greet them as they walked into the foyer, still dressed in her day clothes despite the later hour.

“What happened?” Lina asked.

“We don’t know. Jean-Luc and Indy went out to explore like they always do. We noticed they hadn’t come home at dinner and we started to get worried. Your father left to go to the village and gather some people to look for them. So far there’s been no word.”

“Surely someone must know which direction they headed off in?” Zelgadis said.

“Several students said they saw them heading towards the forest.”

“Great,” Lina said, “There are so many places to get lost there, and it’s haunted.”

“Huh?” Leia said.

“I’ll explain later. I’m going out there.” Lina said as she turned to go back out the door. As expected, Gourry turned to walk beside her.

“We’re coming, too.” Zel and Amelia said.

* * *

They’d been able to find Han and the other villagers easily enough. The light spells and the lanterns made it easy to track them down. Unfortunately, none of them had been able to find a scent of either of the boys, and what worried Lina was that both Indy and Jean-Luc should have been able to do a light spell of their own to make it easy for someone to track them down.

They searched through the night, and Lina was thankful that the quirk of her pregnancy made it so she didn’t fatigue easily. Gourry, as ever, was a machine. Eventually some people from the party left to either catch a bit of rest or get some food. As dawn broke, Lina felt her stomach rumble, and decided it was their turn to get some breakfast. She and Gourry kept their eyes peeled on the way back to Maninstit, but saw no one.

Honor was waiting in the foyer for them when they got back, looking pensive. “If you have news about Indy and Jean-Luc, you’d better spit it out, no matter how much it incriminates you.” Lina said.

“Oh, it’s nothing like that.” Honor said, “I’m not even sure it’s related. But yesterday my cat, Nimitz, went missing.”

“Do you really think a missing cat ranks high on my priorities right now?!” Lina snapped.

“Sorry, I just thought there might be a connection.”

“And what connection would that be?” Lina asked.

“I’ll go join the search party.” Honor said as people started crowding in the foyer. 

“You do that.” Lina said as someone knocked at the door. Jeeves went to open it.

Leia came up and asked her, “Any luck?”

“None.”

“Why don’t you stay here for a bit and get some rest, and I’ll go out and join the party?” Leia suggested.

“No, there’s no way I’ll be able to rest until they are found.”

“Until who is found?” a haughty looking noble woman Lina had never seen before asked. There was something familiar looking about her, as well as the man who stood beside her, but Lina was too stressed to think about it that much.

“Excuse me, but who are you?” Lina asked snarkily.

“John and Darling Neverland.” The woman replied, and Lina felt her stomach sink. “And who are you?”

“Dame Lina Inverse.” Lina said as she shook her head, “And I’m afraid you’ve come at a rather bad time.”

“It had better be for that rude introduction!” John said.

“Is Peter alright?” Darling asked.

“Peter’s fine.” Lina said.

“Where is he?”

“Running around the manor somewhere.”

“You ought to keep better tabs on them!”

“It’s a weekend!” Lina said.

“That’s no excuse.” Darling said.

Just then Peter came into the foyer. “Peter!” Darling exclaimed as she went up to hug him.

Peter took a step back as he blushed, “What are you doing here?”

“We wanted to make sure you were being taken care of.” She said as she held him in an embrace, and Lina noted that Peter looked as though he wished he could teleport away.

“Are they taking good care of you?” Darling asked as she started to pepper his face with kisses.

“Gah! Mom, stop!” Peter yelled as he pulled away, “I’m fine! It’s great here! You don’t need to worry!”

“If everything’s fine why are you talking about finding someone?” John asked.

“Two students got lost in the woods yesterday.” Gourry explained quietly, “We’re currently looking for them.”

“You lost two of your students!?” Darling said accusingly.

Lina tried, and failed, to keep from rolling her eyes, “So kids have never got lost in the woods playing where you’re from?”

“I don’t like your attitude…”

“Honestly dealing with you is just eating away time I don’t have.” Lina said as she turned to go to the dining room.

“Well I never!” Lina heard Darling say as Gourry followed her.

“Mrs. Neverland,” Leia said, “The boys will be found. You know how mischievous they can be.”

“That’s why you keep a vigilant eye on them at all times!” Darling said. “Peter, come, I don’t like it here.”

“No!” he said.

“You’re not going to intervene?” Gourry asked as the door closed behind them.

“I’m going to fuel up and get back on the hunt for Indy and Jean-Luc.” Lina said as she grabbed an apple muffin that was on the table and devoured it, “Peter will be fine either way. Worse comes to worse Sis will have to do damage control, or we just lose Peter as a student. The worst case scenario with Indy and jean-Luc is a bit more dire.”

“You don’t think it is that bad?” Gourry asked as started to scarf down some eggs.

“No, but I’m not going to bet on it.” Lina said, pausing only to chug some water, “The stakes are too high.”

They ate quickly, even for them, and then went back into the foyer, where Peter was having a blazing row with his parents as he yelled, “No, I won’t go back! And even if you make me I’ll just run away and come back here!”

“Oh stop that nonsense!” John said as he grabbed him.

“Diem Wind!” Peter yelled, and the spell sent his parents flying backwards. While they were stunned, he ran out the door.

“Where are you going!?” Darling asked as she stood up and teetered on her heels.

“I thought it was just a matter of keeping a close eye on them at all times.” Lina said smugly as she walked to the door.

“Oh, you stuck up overbearing witch!”

If Lina hadn’t been so worried about finding Jean-Luc and Indy, she would have put her in her place. But soon her attention was distracted by another matter. Nimitz was walking up to the house, and beside him was a large golden dog. Lina knelt down and reached out a hand to pet the dog. “Lina?” Gourry asked.

“I think he can help.” Lina explained. “Do you know where our lost boys are?”

The dog turned around and started walking towards the forest. “Let’s go.” Lina said.

The dog walked at a brisk pace, but not so fast that they couldn’t keep up. He seemed so sure of where he was going that Lina had every confidence that he would take them right to Indy and Jean-Luc. About forty minutes later the dog set by an old, decrepit well, and as they got closer Gourry said, “I can hear them singing!”

Lina’s heart raced as she called, “Indiana! Jean-Luc!” 

“We’re here.” They cried.

Lina looked down into the well. She couldn’t see them. Just darkness. “Well what are you doing in there?”

“We wanted to see what was in it. We heard rumors of treasure.”

“Why didn’t you just levitate out?” 

“Something about this place cancels your magic.” Indy explained, “We can’t even cast a light spell!”

Lina looked at Gourry, “Go get some rope, and get the others.”

“Right.” He said as he went off.

“You won’t believe the cool stuff we’ve found down here.” Indy said.

“That’s nice, but are you alright?” Lina asked. “And how can you even see in there?”

“We’re fine, just hungry.”

Lina shook her head. “Figures. You’ve had us all in a right state!”

“See, Indy,” Jean-Luc said, “I told you, she does care.”

* * *

Gourry was on his way back to the well with some rope and a group of helpers when he heard something splashing in the creek ahead. “Keep an eye out.” He cautioned to the others.

When the foliage cleared, though, Gourry could see Peter sheepishly make his way to the shore. “You alright?” he asked.

“Fine.” Peter said, “I just got a bit careless.”

“Come on.” Gourry said, “We found Jean-Luc and Indy. They’re fine, but they’re going to need some help getting out of the well they’re stuck in.”

“What, and then you’ll make me go back to my parents’?” Peter said.

“Once things settle down I’m sure they’ll see reason.” Gourry said.

“No they won’t,” Peter said petulantly, even as he started to walk with the group. “They never let me do anything fun in case I get hurt.”

“They must care a great deal about you.” Gourry said.

“My brother, James, died. Since then they barely let me out of their sight.”

“So they don’t want to go through their worst nightmare again.”

“Well, no!” Peter said, “But that doesn’t make it easy for me!”

“It’s hard for everyone.” Gourry agreed as he patted him on the back, “We’ll talk to them.”

“What can we say that will change their minds?”

They got into a clearing, and Gourry glanced at the sun to see what time it was. It was still before noon. He looked back to the ground and frowned. Peter’s shadow seemed odd. Especially when he compared the dimensions to the others in the group. He shook his head. It was probably some illusion. “Well, you can help us rescue Indy and Jean-Luc, and then you can tell your parents about how you were able to help. Then they can see all that you are learning and gain confidence that you can take care of yourself.”

“You think it will be that easy?” Peter asked.

Gourry chuckled, “No. But just because something won’t be easy doesn’t mean it isn’t worth trying.”

* * *

“Look at this box of jewels we found!” Indy said proudly once they were out of the well and on their way back to Maninstit.

Lina glanced at it as they walked, “That is a good haul. How did you know it would be there anyway?”

“We talked to the locals, who said there were rumors that when Queen Carliena conquered the chiefdom that was here the Chieftess threw her jewels into a well.”

“Talking to the locals!” Lina cried, “Damn, I don’t know why I overlooked that one! Anyway, I need you to take those jewels to Princess Amelia.”

“But I found them!” Indy said.

“Let me finish!” Lina snapped, “We think they may be the key to help to close the portal and allow the Sad Lady to cross over.”

“Oh, okay. That sounds fun!” Indy said.

Lina sighed, and Gourry came up and asked, “Hey Lina, what happened to that dog?”

Startled, Lina looked around, “I guess he wandered off once we found them. That’s too bad. I would have liked to thank him, strange as it seems.”

“What is it about this place that is attracting animals that are so useful?” he asked.

Lina shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine there. But I’m not going to complain.”

* * *

By the time they’d gotten back to Maninstit, Leia had managed to calm the Neverlands down enough that she’d been able to give them a tour. They were in her office drinking tea when Lina and Gourry brought Peter in. “Look who we found.” Gourry said jovially.

“Peter!” Darling and John cried as they got up to hug him.

“And Indy and Jean-Luc?” Leia asked.

“Are safe and well.” Lina said, “They’d found some treasure at the bottom of the well and had gotten stuck procuring it.”

“And Peter helped us to get them from the bottom of the well.” Gourry said. “He got some life skills in that will help him in the real world.”

“There, you see?” Leia said, “Everyone is safe and sound, and knowledge was advanced. Further, as I was telling you, who better to oversee the training of a magically inclined little boy then a fully trained sorceress?”

“Little boy?” Peter repeated distastefully.

Leia ignored him as she continued, “Lina would have been able to prepare herself for that Diem Wind. Honestly, though, raising pubescent sorcerers is quite, quite taxing. Especially once they get to be more powerful than you. You get all of the snark and the moodiness and disrespect and they can lodge a Dil Brand at you if you try to call them out on it!”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Darling said.

“And I’m sure your home has so many lovely things in it. You look like a woman of fine taste. Do you want to know how many things our Lina destroyed before we decided to send her off on her journey?”

Lina blushed, but managed to bite her tongue. Darling and John looked at each other, and John then looked at Peter, “Do you like it here?”

“Yes!” Peter said emphatically, “I have so many friends and the classes are fun. And we’re going to start having Capture the Flag challenges. I don’t want to miss all that!”

“Well, then you can stay. But we’ll be checking in periodically to make sure everything is okay.”

Leia winked over at Lina, and Lina reminded herself to thank her later for her ability to smooth things over and put out another crisis.

* * *

“Another day ends, with all students accounted for.” Lina said to Gourry as she brushed her hair. “Though, I’m nervous now that Nerys and Owen have reached the Elmekian border. At least your old friend has reported making contact with them.”

“It’s hard to let someone else take the risk.” Gourry said as he collapsed into the bed. “I am going to sleep so good tonight!”

She smiled as she set the brush down. He’d had a bit of a nap in the afternoon, but all told they’d only had about two hours sleep in the past two days, “So will I, come to think of it.”

She crawled into bed with him and cuddled up. “Gourry?”

“Hm?”

“Do you think we’ll be good parents?”

“We’ll be wonderful parents!” he said.

“You it’s no question. But what about me? I mean, I’m not exactly nurturing.”

“I wouldn’t have married you if I hadn’t thought you could do it.” He said.

“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not.” She said.

“It’s a compliment.” He said, “Just, can we go to sleep? We didn’t get any sleep last night!”

“Right, right. Night, love.”

“Night, love.”

She was quiet for a moment, and then she asked, “Gourry?”

“Hm?”

“You don’t think we’re going to turn into the Darlings? So scared of something happening to our kid that we panic at the thought of letting him do something on his own?”

He started to rub her back, “These past two years I’ve been panicking at the thought of letting you do something on your own! I think I’ve learned to deal with it.”

She chuckled a bit. “Well, when you put it like that. I guess I’ve done the same. Night.”

* * *

Lina woke with a gasp as she felt a cold, bony hand wrap around her ankle. Her eyes shot open, but she couldn’t see much in the dark. Was it Gourry? But both of his arms were wrapped around her. Lina felt her heart sink as she noticed a familiar chill in the air. “Gourry,” she whispered, “Something has grabbed my leg.”

The hand pulled with such a force that had Lina not grabbed a hold of Gourry she would have flown from the bed! Gourry managed to quickly grab one of the bed posts with one hand as he held to her with the other as the ghost continued to pull on her leg. Lina was terrified it would fling her on the hard floor and she would hurt the baby! But she couldn’t turn around and cast a spell. She needed both of her hands to hold onto Gourry! 

“Lina! What’s happening?” he asked.

“FIRST YOU TAKE MY HOME, AND NOW YOU TAKE MY JEWELS!” The Sad Lady roared, answering that question for them as she yanked on Lina even harder.

Lina felt her grip on Gourry slip a bit, and out of desperation she yelled, “I know where Iceni and Prasutagus are!”

The Sad Lady stopped pulling. “What?”

Lina took a deep breath, “The jewels, I’m using them to reunite you.”

The Sad Lady released her grip on Lina and stared at them icily. Then she said, “Three days. Or then you know what it’s like to lose a child.”

“Right.” Lina said as she exhaled, “I will get right on that!”

The Sad Lady vanished, and Lina cuddled up to Gourry. She wasn’t sure if he was trembling or if it was her, or perhaps both. “How did she get out of the parlor?” Gourry asked.

“Something about those jewels the boys found must have helped her pull herself out.” Lina said. “Damn, there’s no way I’m getting anymore sleep tonight. Time to hit the books.”


End file.
